V 



ALL ABOUT 



INDIAN RUNNER 
DUGKS 



BY 



MRS. D. O. TEASLEY 



Monarch Publishing Company, 



MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA 



Copyright 19 12 

By B. R. Inman and 

Mrs. D. 0. Teasley 



1 



All About 

Indian Runner Ducks 

A treatise, on all varieties of the 
Indian Runner Duck, in- 
cluding their Origin, 
History and Culture 



BY 



Mrs. D. O. TEASLEY 

•I 



Proprietor, Monarch Poultry Farm 
State Secretary National White Indian Runner Duck Club 

for Indiana, and 
Member American White Orpington Club. 



Price, 75 Cents. 



PUBLISHED BY 

MONARCH PUBLISHING COMPANY 
MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA. 



CONTENTS 

PART I 

PAGE 

Frontispiece 6 

Preface 7 

A Treatise on the Indian Runner Duck 8 

Origin and History 9 

Varieties 11 

Claims ._ 17 

Hatching __^ 18 

Brooding 24 

Feeding 26 

Housing '_ 31 

Marketing 39 

Mating 42 

A Friendly Warning 44 

Advice to Beginners 46 

Questions and Answers 48 

DuckDont's 50 

PART II 

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 

PAGE 

Mrs. D. O. Teasley 54 

Mrs. Andrew Brooks 60 

Mrs. Geo. R. Simpson 73 

Mrs. U. R. Fishel 79 

B. R. Inman_. 80 



PART III 

RELIABLE ADVERTISEMENTS 

PAGE 

Petaluma Incubator Co. 83 

B. R. Inman& Son ;_ 83 

J. G. Hermann & Co._. 84 

Monarch Publishing Co. 84 

Inland Poultry Journal 1 85 

Mrs. Geo. R. Simpson 86 

Indiana Electrotype Co. : 87 

Mrs. D. 0. Teasley 88-89 

Hillcrest Poultry Farm 90 

Mrs. Andrew Brooks 91 

The A. D. Hosterman Co. 92 




MRS. D. O. TEASLEY, Anderson, Ind. 

Manager Monarch Poultry Farm, State Secretary of the National 
White Indian Runner Duck Club for the state of Indiana, 
and member American White Orpington Club. 



PREFACE. 

f 
The need of a reliable work on the Indian Runner duck is so 

obvious to poultrymen that no apology is necessary for the ap- , 

pearance of this book. 

In addition to what I have learned from experience, I have 
consulted the best books extant on the Indian Runner, and have 
endeavored to reduce the knowledge thus gained by experience 
and research to a condensed, unified and practical form. 

I am not sanguine enough to think that I know everything 
there is to know about the Indian Runner duck, but I have the 
honor to have associated with me in Part II of this book three 
other prominent breeders — Mrs. Geo. R. Simpson, Mrs. Andrew 
Brooks, and Mrs. U. R. Fishel, who have each contributed a chap- 
ter on the particular variety in which she is especially in- 
terested. I think, therefore, that I am justified in giving this book 
the title, All about Indian Runner Ducks. 

MRS. D. 0. TEASLEY, 
Anderson, Ind., 
January, 1912. 



PART I. 

A TREATISE ON 

THE INDIAN RUNNER DUCK 

By 

Mrs. D. O. Teasley 

Fancier and Breeder 

Anderson, Ind. 



All About Indian Runner Ducks. 



CHAPTER I 

Origin and History 

The Indian Runner duck came originally from India; hence 
the name "Indian." The term "Runner" is supposed to have been 
taken from the fact that they literally run instead of waddle, as 
do other ducks. The origin of the Indian Runner duck, like the 
origin of many other good things, was little thought of until she 
became popular. It is singular that money will make even a duck- 
popular. So long as we were ignorant of her money-making 
abilities, we were no more interested in the origin of the Indian 
Runner than in that of the pud';'e duck, but as soon as she was 
found to be a money-maker, the whole country Dct-ame interested 
in this wonderful fowl, and we naturally inquire, where did she 
come from? 

Whether it is due to the fact that we are inclined to think, as 
many other people are inclined to think of their country, that 
nothing good could originate very far from America, or whether 
it was a mistake, somehow the story got out that the Indian 
Runner duck came originally from the West India Islands. Some 
believe that it was due to a printer's accident that changed the let- 
ter "E" in East to "W." After this error it was easy, by supply- 
ing "e" for "a," to upset the whole geography of the earth and 
bring the original home of our beloved duck twelve thousand 
miles westward. In whatever way the story got started, it is now 
disproved, and no well-informed breeder believes the West Indies 
tale. 

The most plausible story has it that the Indian Runner is a 
native of India. They were discovered, it is said, by an English 
sea-captain who, attracted by their lively movement!, upright 
carriage, and by the stories of their wonderful egg production, 
captured them and took them to England. Mr. C S. Valentine 
quotes an English breeder as saying: "The earliest history of 
the fowl (the Indian Runner; that can be gathered is that they 



were closely associated with the ancient Hindus of India iooo 
years B. C. The V\ird appealed to them through its fighting qual- 
ities. Thus it was that the fowl was first domesticated, not for 
its food value so much as for its sporting qualities. It was prin- 
cipally located in the Punjab, Northern India; its culture spread 
over India, then distributed through the islands oi the Indian 
Ocean and into China, and ^s civilization increased ana commerce 
and colonization commenced it gradually worked its way through 
the Malay archipelago into Persia, and thence into the European 
countries." Mr. Valentine does not give the foregoing as abso- 
lute facts, but he says himself: "The peculiar running gait, it is 
thought, seems proof of the Indian Runners being survivors of 
the fittest, long ago, in a barren region lacking in vegetation and 
abundant in insect life, where the usual type of waddling duck 
would have perished from want of sufficient sustenance, through 
sheer inability to forage so fast and so far." Though both of 
these stories sound considerable like fables of the East, there may 
be, after all, seme truth in them. At any rate, it seems conclusive 
that the Indian Runner is a native of India and not of the West 
India Islands. 

The history of the Indian Runner in England has been traced 
back, with more or less distinctness, for a period of eighty years. 
After going back about forty years, however, the history becomes 
somewhat hazy. About the only definite knowledge we have is 
that they were first known to Britain in County Cumberland in 
the north of England. They are now bred extensively in the 
British Isles. Mr. J. W. Walton, Secretary of The Indian Runner 
Duck Club of England, is probably the most extensive English 
breeder well known to Americans. 

About fifteen years ago the Indian Runner was imported from 
England to this country. Here it was bred by but few until 
about 1904 or 1905 ; since which time it has been constantly 
growing in favor. At present there are in America no less than 
three distinct varieties or colors. The latest American Standard 
of Perfection calls for a light fawn and white color. Those 
known as the English standard ducks are a darker brown with a 
light brown penciling. More recently the pure white variety has 
made its appearance. This, in a brief way, brings the history of 

IO 



the Indian Runner down to the present time. In part second of 
this book will be found some further notes on the history of the 
Indian Runner duck. 

CHAPTER II 

Varieties of the Indian Runner Duck 

There are three varieties of the Indian Runner — the English 
penciled, the American Standard or light fawn and white, and 
the pure white. Each variety has its friends as well as its foes. 
"All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes," especially if 
he is after the dollar. The breeder of the penciled duck would 
have us believe that his variety is the only Indian Runner worthy 
the name; that all others are worthless mongrels. The breeder 
of the light fawn and white duck tells us that his is the only true 
Indian Runner and that the old unimproved penciled variety will 
soon be a thing of the past. Breeders of the white Indian Runner 
have not been in business long enough to tell us much about their 
ducks, but among the first phrases we hear from them is, "Best 
of all." The reason why most breeders think their ducks "the 
only pebbles on the beach" is too obvious to the most of us to need 
comment — they have "an axe to grind." 

Since the history of the Indian Runner is lost in the dim 
spectre of the past, and since we can not trace them distinctly even 
for one hundred years, probably no reliable breeder would care 
to say upon his oath that any one of the three varieties has 
never consorted with any other breed of ducks. It is commonly 
conceded, I believe, that until twenty-five or thirty years ago the 
Indian Runner duck in England, its first western home, was not 
very carefully bred. For fifty . years or more, therefore, the 
original stock brought from India had abundant opportunity to 
mix with other ducks ; and since the Indian Runner duck is not a 
very strict monogamist, it may be, after all, that even the English 
penciled duck is somewhat of a mongrel. At the Madison Square 
Garden Show, Dec, 191 1, was exhibited an Indian Runner said to 
be imported direct from India. I saw the duck, or rather, the 
drake, but I am unable to say from positive evidence whether it 
came from India or not, or if it did come from India whether it 
was a pure Runner or a cross with some wild breed. We do not 

II 



have to argue long to convince a reasonable man that the Ameri- 
can Standard light fawn and white varity possesses some blood 
foreign to the original Indian Runner, and, could the White Pekin 
duck speak for her family, she would doubtless tell us something 
about where the white Indian Runner got her frock. Some of the 
white Runners, however, are sports from the light fawn and 
white, but since water can not rise above its own level, the white 
variety can hardly claim purer blood than the light fawn and 
white from which it came. It is highly probable, then, that all 
three varieties of the Indian Runners, with the possible excep- 
tion of ducks recently brought direct from India, are in a degree 
mongrels. Since we all live in glass houses, then, would it not be 
good advice to quit "slinging mud" and "throwing stones" and 
admit that every fowl that can produce food and give us pleasure 
has a right to live? 

In deciding which of the three varieties of Indian Runner 
ducks is best, two things must be held in mind : utility value, and 
fancy qualities. Of these, the former is certainly more import- 
ant. We can live without fancy stock, but we must have food. 
In fact, utility value is the supreme test for any fowl. So far as 
quality of flesh and size are concerned there is no difference in the 
three varieties. In meat production, therefore, they stand equal. 
In egg production we must consider color and quantity of eggs. 
In quantity, each breeder sanguinely believes that the particular 
variety that he breeds lays more than any other. Who is right, 
we shall have to wait and see. I have bred all three varieties, and 
I find them all great layers, but which lays most, I am not able to 
say. In color the evident demand is for a white shelled egg and 
not for a green one. Just here is where the hottest fight is on 
between the breeders of the penciled duck and the breeders of the 
light fawn and white duck. Breeders of the penciled duck say 
that she always lays a pure white egg, and that all the fawn and 
white ducks will lay some green eggs. On the other hand, the 
breeders of the fawn and white say that the penciled ducks lay 
as many green eggs as do the fawn and white. Not knowing who 
to believe, I recently asked one of the best water fowl judges in 
the country for a frank statement on the subject. He said: "I 
have yet to see my first breeder of any variety of the Indian 
Runner who does not occasionally get a tinted egg" Reliable 

12 



breeders, however, are fast developing a pure white egg strain, 
and the time is not far distant when all thoroughbred Indian' 
Runners of whatever variety will lay a white egg exclusively. 

Fancy quality is only relative. What is most fancy depends 
upon who is the fancier. At present only the light fawn and 
white variety is admitted to the American Standard of Perfec- 
tion, but, in my opinion, all three varieties of the Indian Runner 
type of ducks should be admitted to the standard. Several differ- 
ent colors of the same variety of chickens are admitted to the 
standard, why not the same with ducks? The black, the white, 
and the buff Orpingtons are all true Orpingtons. Why, then, are 
not the penciled, the fawn and white, and the white Indian 
Runners in a sense all true Indian Runners? To admit all three 
varieties to the standard is the only reasonable solution of this 
problem, and the American Poultry Association will, I believe, 
finally come to it. 

The English Penciled Indian Runner Duck. 




Indian Runner Duck according to the English Standard. 

13 



The above cut was made from a photograph and gives a fair 
idea of the English penciled Indian Runner. In Part II will be 
found a more complete description of this variety together with 
the requirements of the English Standard. 

Light Fawn and White 

American Standard Indian Runner Duck. 



Ideal American Standard Indian Runner. 

"The standard-bred Indian Runner has a long, flat, finely 
formed head of a light fawn and white color. The head should 
be adorned with cap and cheek markings of light fawn or gray, 
the cap being divided from the cheek markings by a narrow white 
line, and the base of the bill from the head markings by a line of 
white about one-eighth of an inch wide. The bill is of unusual 
length, fairly broad and strong at the base, extending down from 
the skull in an almost straight line. In the ducklings the bill is 
of a yellow color, spotted with green. When fully matured, the 
bill of the duck should be dark green in color ; the drake, yellow 
with a black bean. The eyes are dark brown in color and set 
high in the head. The neck is unusually long and slender and 
white in color from head to the beginning of the breast markings. 
The back is long and narrow and of a light fawn color. The 
breast is round and of a light fawn color, evenly divided about 
halfway between the point of the breastbone and the legs. The 

14 



body is long, narrow, and carried erect, with no indication of 
keel, somewhat resembling that of the Penguin in shape, and is 
of a light fawn color. The wings are of medium length and 
carried close to the body, the shoulders and top part of the wings 
being of the same color as the breast. The tail is composed of 
hard, stiff feathers, the sex feathers of the drake being well curled. 
The color of the tail is light fawn. The legs should be of medium 
length and set well apart; the toes straight and connected by 
web. Color of shanks and toes should be a deep orange yellow." 
The standard weight of the drake is four and one-half pounds ? 
of the duck four pounds. 

The tail of the drake, according to the new standard, should 
be a bronze-green. All good breeders and poultry judges, how- 
ever, are of the opinion that this is a mistake, and that the tail 
should be fawn. 

White Indian Runner Duck 




The white Indian Runner is making rapid progress, and it is 
believed by some that this variety will soon be the leading Indian 
Runner. They are said to lay a pure white egg and to possess 
extraordinary hardiness. As to origin, it is believed that the 
white Indian Runner is the result of a cross of the fawn and white 
variety with the white Pekin duck. Some affirm, however, that 
they are sports from the fawn and white Runner, and therefore 
that they are pure Indian Runners. 

IS 



The white Indian Runner does not differ materially from the 
other varieties, except in color. When their white is sufficiently 
fixed so that they will breed true to color, the white Runner will 
be an advantage, for since they are white all over and have no 
markings, it will be easy to breed true to the standard. I speak 
of their standard prospectively, for they will undoubtedly be ad- 
mitted to the standard in course of time. Yet fanciers, like other 
human beings, glory in achieving that which is difficult. It may 
be, after all, therefore, that the more-difficult-to-produce light 
fawn and white duck will hold the leading place among the Indian 
Runners. Some admire the white duck, and others the penciled, 
but since the present standard calls for the light fawn and white, 
those who wish to breed for exhibition must breed the light fawn 
and white duck, until a place in the show room can be made for 
all. It is believed that the time is not far distant when the stand- 
ard will admit both the penciled and the white Runners, and even 
now classes are being made in some of the large shows for the 
non-standard birds. 

In Part II of this book one of the leading breeders of the 
white Indian Runner will tell you his experience and what he 
thinks about them. 



s 



16 



CHAPTER III 

Claims for the Indian Runner 

Being a small bird, the Indian Runner has no superior claim 
to the production of feathers. She is too valuable for meat and 
egg production to be raised for anything else. 

As a meat producer, the Indian Runner is a quality bird. The 
standard weight being four and four and one-half pounds, the 
grown ducks are not very large, but as broilers they mature 
quickly into the finest of fowl meat. It is claimed that their meat 
is sweeter than any other duck and much superior to any chicken 
both in toothsomeness and in nutritive value. They possess much 
less fat and the meat when roasted and served lacks the unde- 
sirable fat of other roast ducks. It is also claimed that they, are 
easier to dress than other ducks, which quality is no mean thing 
to the housewife or the cook. 

The chief claim for the Indian Runner, however, is egg pro- 
duction. No other fowl, so far as I know, has ever approached 
the egg record of these marvelous layers. In an egg-laying con- 
test held in New Zealand one Indian Runner duck layed 320 
eggs in 365 days : and, though in heavy moult at the close of the 
contest, she was laying an egg every day. Breeders in the United 
States claim records from 200 to 250 eggs a year from ducks 
kept in small flocks. That it is not at all uncommon for an Indian 
Runner duck to lay an egg every day for one hundred successive 
days can be substantiated by almost any breeder who has any 
knowledge of the Indian Runner. 

Their eggs, moreover, are the same price as hen eggs in most 
markets, and more in some. The only thing that could be urged 
as against the Indian Runner duck egg is that some of the shells 
are a greenish tint, but this is by no means true of all their eggs. 
Breeders are working hard to eliminate the green-shelled egg, and 
no little progress has already been made. Those who contemplate 
raising the Indian Runner for market eggs should be careful to 
start with ducks that lay only white-shelled eggs. A man who 
wishes to produce eggs for market, however, can not do better 
than start with Indian Runners. Once started with these veritable 

17 



egg machines, one would not think of raising chickens for egg 
pi eduction. Best of all, the Indian Runner lays when aggs are 
highest in price — through the winter months. When the old hen 
is shivering with the cold and nursing a frozen comb, the Indian 
Runner is wrapped in her coat of down and laying an egg every 
day. Another great advantage of the Indian Runner is that 
you do not have to build expensive houses for her. All she asks 
is a rough, shed for a shelter and windbreak, and a dry place for 
her feet — no roosts, no nests, no furniture of any kind. Further- 
more, she is never troubled with lice, mites, or roup. In a word, 
she asKs but little and gives much. 

CHAPTER IV 

Hatching the Indian Runner 

Hatching the Indian Runner is in general the same as hatch- 
ing chickens. The duck egg, however, requires twenty-eight days 
to hatch, whereas the chicken egg requires only twenty-one. 
There are two ways of hatching : the natural and the artificial. 
For those who wish to hatch onlv a few eggs, nothing is better 
or surer than the old hen, but where hundreds or thousands of 
eggs arc r o be hatched, as in modern poultry raising, she is too 
limited in capacity. 

Just a few suggestions to those who wish to hatch with a hen. 
Having selected a faithful, motherly nen, you must make her a 
- comfortable nest, and keep her free from lice. The latter yon 
can do by dusting her every three or four days with some good 
insect powder. Persian insect powder, napthaline and flour make 
an excellent powder for chickens. Sprinkle the nest of eggs once 
or twice during the hatch with powdered sulphur or lime; it wil 
help destroy the lice. I mention lice killer here because it is im- 
perative that the setting hen be kept free from vermin. 

Feed and water should be kept before the setting hen at all 
times so that she may get off the nest and eat and drink whenever 
she will. Hens have been known to starve to death on the nest. 
Some hens, however, are inclined to leave the nest too long and 
allow the eggs to chill. I have known a hen to sit all right for 
a few days and then all of a sudden and seemingly without cause 

18 



to leave the nest so long that every egg would chill. The result 
is a bad hatch if you have any hatch at all. I have had better 
success by shutting the hens on the nest and letting them off once 
a day to feed, water and have a dust bath. When they have been 
off about fifteen or t wenty minutes, I put them back on their eggs. 

The membrane that lines a duck egg shell is much tougher 
than that in the hen egg. It is, therefore, necessary, in order to 
obtain the best results, to supply moisture. Otherwise the ducks 
are liable to die in the shell on account of being unable to pierce 
the tough membrane. The extra moisture rots the shell and the 
membrane, allowing the duckling to escape. No fixed amount of 
moisture can be given, for much depends upon the season of 
the year and the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. I have 
had good results as follows : Wet the egg with half pint of luke- 
warm water once a week for the first three weeks, and every 
two days for the last week. Or sprinkle the eggs with warm 
water every day for the last eight or ten days. Always sprinkle 
or wet the eggs at night, for the hen is then less likely to raise 
up off the eggs and allow them to chill. Care should be exercised 
not to put too many eggs under a hen. 

Ten or eleven duck eggs is about the right number in early 
spring, and not more than thirteen should be given a hen at any 
time. 

Those who go into the business of duck raising extensively 
will sooner or later need to turn out ducks faster than the old 
hen can hatch them; hence the need for artificial incubation. 
Many people suppose that incubators and artificial incubation is 
a modern invention, but such is not the case. "Articial incuba- 
tion, or hatching by machinery, is known to be an old idea, and 
yet very little information upon original processes is to be found 
in our libraries. Eggs were hatched by articial means centuries 
ago. Machines were invented and used successfully for this pur- 
pose by the Egyptians long before the Christian era. Very 
recently some of these hatching ovens have been found by explor- 
ers. Some of them depended upon the customary fuel for their 
supply of heat, while others relied upon stones heated in the 
sun, and some, even, were found that obtained the necessary heat 
from lamps. Besides the above sources of incubation heat, men- 
tion can be made of decomposing animals and vegetable matter 

*9 



used long ago with unknown success. Not many winters ago 
the writer had the pleasure of forking out a live and health} 
chicken from a heap of compost near the door of his stable. Nu- 
merous other instances of accidental incubation have been re- 
lated, and man's ingenuity has been exercised to devise machines 
and methods that will insure the transition of the dormant egg 
into the living chick." 

The first consideration in artificial hatching is the incubator. An 
inferior incubator will waste more time and money than any other 
machine I know of; be sure to get a good machine and you will 
never regret the investment. The country is flooded with cheap, 
worthless incubators, but there are many good ones. Whatever 
incubator you use, follow to the letter the directions of its man- 
ufacturer and you will obtain the best results. Beware of follow- 
ing everybody's advice and use your common sense. When your 
machine comes, study carefully the directions before trying to 
put it together. When you think you fully understand all its 
parts, read the directions over again, and then set up your ma- 
chine. 

Where to set the machine is the next question. Since an even 
regular temperature is absolutely necessary to perfect incubation, 
the chief requiremnt is that the incubator be placed where it will 

^Farmers' Bulletin, 
be subjected to the least possible variation in temperature. There 
should be no draughts and the room should have no stove or 
other artificial heat than the incubator. The room should not be 
dark. A clean, dry, light cellar is an ideal place, but any dry, 
clean room will do, provided that the heat does not vary too much 
and that the draughts of air over or around the machine are 
avoided. The incubator must have a permanent place, where it 
will not need to be moved and where it will be absolutely undis- 
turbed. The floor must be level, and, to insure perfect distribu- 
tion of the heat, the machine should be set perfectly level with a 
carpenter's spirit level. Plenty of space should be left around 
the incubator to allow the attendant to work unhindered and 
without jostling the machine. 

Do not be in a hurry to put the eggs in the machine. When 
you have the machine set up and well located in its permanent 
place, fill your lamp ; and, after looking over the machine again to 

2Q 



be sure that everything is in place, light the lamp and turn the 
blaze very low. Be very careful not to heat the machine too rap- 
idly. Be sure that your regulator is in working order, then let 
the egg chamber heat up slowly. As the machine heats up, turn 
up the blaze in the lamp a little at a time until the mercury in 
the thermometer begins to raise. When the heat registers 102 
degrees, adjust the damper so that it will go no higher. When 
you have gotten the machine regulated so that you can keep the 
temperature at 102 degrees, run it that way for twenty- four hours 
at least, or until you can perfectly control the heat. The blaze 
must be clean and white. Have your wick trimmed straight, so 
that you can turn it up or down a little without causing smoke. 
This is important. 

Having set up the machine, having placed it in its permanent 
location, and having regulated the heat, it is now time to turn 
your attention to getting the eggs ready for incubation. Eggs, be- 
fore putting them into the machine, should be kept in a tempera- 
ture of about sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Now open the door of 
your incubator and remove the egg trays, being careful not to 
disturb the regulator. Fill each tray full of eggs, but do not 
stand them on ends. When they are filled, carefully replace the 
trays in the machine, and close the door. When the eggs are put 
in the machine, the temperature may go down, but give them time 
to heat up slowly and do not turn up the blaze for at least five 
hours. A close watch should be kept, however, and the machine 
should not be left for more than an hour at a time until it is 
running regularly at 102 degrees. For duck eggs keep the heat 
at about 102 degrees for the first two weeks, then allow it grad- 
ually to raise to 103 or 104 degrees the last two weeks. Follow 
directions carefully, and fill and clean the lamp every evening. 
Every time you fill the lamp, be sure to look at the thermometer 
again in fifteen or twenty minutes. 

For the first three days the eggs need no other attention than 
to keep the temperature even and to turn the trays end for end 
once a day, but bginning on the fourth day, the eggs must be 
turned and cooled twice a day. On the morning of the fourth 
day turn every egg about one-third of the way over. When open- 
ing the door of the machine and removing the trays, be careful 
not to jar the eggs or the incubator. If the room is not cold and 

21 



there is no draught, let the eggs cool ten to fifteen minutes and 
then put them back in the machine. While the eggs are cooling, 
however, the door of the machine should be kept closed. Continue 
to turn and cool the eggs daily until the twenty-fifth day, or until 
the ducklings begin to pip the shells. After this they must not 
be disturbed. 

Duck eggs, as a rule, require more moisture than hen eggs. A 
shallow pan of damp — not wet — sand should be placed under the 
egg trays. Beginning the sixth day the sand should be kept damp 
at all times until the twenty-fifth day, when the pipping will begin. 
Then remove the sand trays and put the cloth trays into the ma- 
chine. Beginning with the fifteenth day, some sprinkle the eggs 
with warm water once every day until the end of the hatch. It 
is best to let the eggs cool a little before sprinkling. As soon as 
they have been sprinklked, return them at once to the machine. 
Always keep door of machine shut while eggs are out so that the 
heat will not run too low. 

Open the ventilators of the machine half way on the sixth day 
and leave them that way until the fifteenth day, when they should 
be opened wide and left that way until end of hatch. If you do 
not give plenty of moisture and air, you will have many dead 
ducklings in me shells. 

The eggs should be tested on the tenth and twentieth days 
and all infertile eggs removed from the machine. Testing is very 
simple when you have had a little experience. Evening is the best 
time. Many methods are employed, but all agree in principle. 
Cut a hole a little smaller than an egg in a pasteboard box. Hold 
the box up to a lamp so that the light will shine through the hole. 
Place the egg in the hole between the eye and the light and turn 
the egg slowly. If a small dark spot or blood veins can be seen 
the egg is fertile. The egg continues to darken as the hatch 
progresses. A light place should be seen at one end of the egg. 
however, for this is the air cell. The air cell in a duck egg is 
usually larger than that in a hen egg. On the twenty-fifth or 
twenty-sixth day, the ducklings pip the shell and then make no 
tf&re effort to get out until the twenty-eighth day. Some people 
place a towel wet in water heated to about 103 degrees over the 
eggs on the twenty-fifth day and leave it for several hours. This 
softens the shell and enables the youngsters to make their escape. 

22 



The towel must be removed from the machine quickly, so that 
the moisture will not escape. 

Sometimes the temperature will vary toward the end of the 
ha r ch. The egg just before hatching radiates a great deal of 1 eai 
and the young sponge-like ducklings when hatched absorb heat. 
Sometimes, therefore, it is necessary to guage the machine a de- 
gree- higher. You must be careful at this time not to allow the 
heat to get below 103 degrees. Occasionally there will be a 
duckling that can not escape from the shell, and by assisting it a 
little it can be saved. A little experience will teach you when 
your help is needed. Remove the shells occasionally lest they 
interfere with the hatching ducklings. 

When the ducklings are all out and dried off, the machine will 
run a degree or two lower. Keep the ducklings in the machine 
for at least twenty-four hours after they are hatched when they 
will be dry, and strong enough to remove to the brooder. The 
heat in the brpoder should be started twenty-four hours before 
the ducklings are ready to take out, so that it will be warm and 
ready for them when they are taken from the machine. Be 
careful not to chill the ducklings when taking them from the 
machine to the brooder. 

By following the foregoing instructions and those given with 
every good incubator, any ordinary person can hatch the Indian 
Runner. Above all, use your judgment and do not get excited. 
If the temperature in the machine suddenly runs too high, remove 
the egg trays, sprinkle the eggs with warm water and replace 
them in the machine ; if the temperature runs low, raise it slowly 
by turning up the lamp a little at a time. Have a will to conquer 
difficulties, and never get discouraged. 



*3 



CHAPTER V 

Brooding 

Most breeders consider that brooding is more difficult than 
hatching. Two things are highly important: the ducklings must 
not be chilled and they must not get wet. If you have only a few 
ducklings an old hen will take good care of them, but you must 
shut her up and not allow her to run around with them until they 
are four or five weeks old. In cold weather, be careful not to 
let the youngsters get in a draught. A brooder for raising duck- 
lings with a hen may be made much the same as an ordinary 
chicken coop. The size can be varied to suit your convenience, 
but beware of putting too many together. Fifteen is enough for 
one hen. The front of the coop should be glass and the ends and 
back should be lined with tar paper. In cold winter weather 
this brooder or coop will not be warm enough to protect the 
young ducklings unless it is well sheltered from the wind. The 
heated brooder is best for cold weather. There are many good 
heated brooders on the market, and it makes little difference 
which one you use so long as it keeps the ducklings warm and 
dry. A very good brooder can be made after the following plan. 



IX 



\ 



7 



Front View of Brooder 



Fifty ducklings in a brooder are enough. For this, many rn^ce a 
box of the following dimensions : four feet long, three feet w : <le, 
one foot deep in the middle, and nine inches deep at the si *es. 
Bore three holes one and one-half inches in diameter, one in the 



24 



bottom of the box exactly in the center, the others, one in each 
end eight inches from the bottom and exactly in the center of the 
box, measuring from side to side. Now have a plumber make you 
a "T" of one and one-half inch gas pipe. The horizontal or cross 
pipe should be about four feet two inches long, or just long 




7 



\ 



End View of Brooder 



enough to reach across the box from end to end. The vertical 
pipe should be about nine inches long, or long enough to reach 
from the cross pipe down through the hole in the bottom of the 
box. The pipe should be ready to put in before the box is nailed 
together, or a slot from the top down to the hole may be made in 
one end so the pipe can be removed. Place an old tin can with a 
hole in the bottom of it large enough to admit the pipe, around the 
pipe inside the brooder. This will keep the ducklings from get- 
ting against the pipe and from getting too warm. Nail a piece of 
tin about eighteen inches square with a hole in the center for the 
pipe on the bottom of the box outside, nail four legs on the box, 
one on each corner so as to raise it about six inches off the ground, 
and set a regular brooder lamp immediately under the pipe. The 
heat passing up through the vertical pipe will keep the brooder 
warm and the fumes will pass out at the ends of the cross sec- 
tion. Should more heat be needed, partly close the ends of the 
pipe in the horizontal section so that so much will not escape. 
This makes a cheap and convenient brooder that will give as 
g<5od service as a more expensive one. 

Whatever kind of brooder you use, you must keep it dry and 



25 



scrupulously clean. The ducklings should stay in the brooder 
until they are about two weeks old, when they may be moved to 
larger quarters. When they are this old, they do not require 
so much heat, but if the weather is cold, care should be taken 
not to change them too suddenly. Some heat should be supplied 
until warm weather. 

Those who wish to raise ducks extensively in cold weather will 
find it necessary to erect a steam-heated brooder house. When 
the ducks are taken from the heated brooder house, they should 
be provided a growing- house that is also slightly warmed. In a 
following chapter on housing the Indian Runner will be found 
valuable plans and specifications for an extensive and practical 
brooder plant. 

CHAPTER VI 
Feeding 

The original food of the duck in its wild state consists of 
flag, grasses, small fishes, water insects, etc., gathered from 
brooks and marshes. The domestic duck, raised in confinement, 
should have an imitation of this food. The duck having no crop, 
the food passes directly from the throat to the gizzard ; therefore, 
the food should be in a soft, mushy condition. Too much hard 
foods, such as grain, does not agree with a duck. Some feed a 
small allowance of grain, but soft foods consisting of vegetables, 
grasses, and animal foods, is their natural diet, upon which they 
thrive best. To the breeder of Indian Runner ducks the two most 
important considerations with respect to the feeding are what to 
feed the young ducklings, and what to feed the laying ducks. 

Feeding the Ducklings 

If the ducklings are well fed and properly cared for until 
they are five weeks old, they may be counted as good as raised. 
When past that age, they are hardy and require only ordinary 
care and attention. 

The ducklings should not be fed at all until they are thirty- 
six hours old. After they are thirty-six hours old, feed them hard 
boiled egg or stale bread moistened with milk. Keep up this diet 
for five days, then gradually add wheat bran and shorts equal 

26 



parts to the bread and milk, making a stiff mash. A little beef 
scrap should also be added after the fifth day, but the ordinary 
beef scrap should be sifted and only the finer part given to them. 
Keep adding more wheat bran and shorts, also a little corn-meal 
and fine sand, until they are ten days or two weeks old, when they 
should have a mash made as follows : 

4 parts wheat bran 

2 parts shorts or middlings 

i part corn meal 

i part rolled oats 

2 parts of green stuff cut very fine (lettuce, clover, or 
alfalfa) 

One-half to one part beef scrap 

One-fourth part fine sharp sand 
Wet the mash with milk to make a heavy mush form. It is 
well to add a little powdered charcoal once each day. Feed four 
times a day : at 6 a. m., 10 a. m., 2 p. m., and 6 p. m. Avoid too 
sudden changes in rations, especially of increasing quantity of 
beef scrap. Branch off gradually on new formulas. When they 
are about four weeks old gradually work them on to a little 
stronger ration like the following: 

4 parts bran 
2 parts shorts 
i part corn meal 
i to 2 parts beef scrap 
i part green food 
One-half part fine sharp sand 
Mix with water or milk to a dry crumbly state. 
To the surplus drakes you wish to fatten for the market feed 
' the following formula : 

i part wheat bran 
i part middlings 
4 parts corn meal 
One-third part beef scrap 
One-half part sharp sand 
Mix with water to a dry crumbly state. Feed three times a 
day. They will be ready for market when eight to ten weeks old 
after about a week or ten days on this feed. 

«7 



Feeding the Laying Ducks 

In feeding the laying ducks it is of the utmost importance 
that the feed have sufficient proportion of protein. This is sup- 
plied by animal foods such as beef scrap. Sufficient green food 
should be fed to make bulk, but care should be taken not to 
feed too much corn or other fattening foods. A duck that lays 
an egg every day must have materials from which to make such 
large quantities of protein, but she does not need a large quantity 
of fattening food. A good laying ration for winter is made as 
follows : 

4 parts bran 

2 parts shorts or middlings 
i part corn meal 
i part oil meal 
i part beef scrap 
2 parts alfalfa meal 
One-half part fine sharp sand 
In the summer months omit the corn meal and add one more 
part of shorts or middlings. 

Mixing the Feed 

The feed stuff should be thoroughly mixed while dry, after 
which it should be moistened with water and mixed to a dry, 
crumbly state. It should not be too wet or sloppy, for then it is 
neither so good for the fowls, nor can it be handled and fed con- 
veniently. In very cold weather the mash should be moistened 
with warm water. Cooked vegetables or raw vegetables cut fine 
may be mixed with the mash. 

How Much to Feed 

Young growing ducks require a large amount of feed with 
which to build their rapidly increasing forms. Their growth 
averages approximately a half a pound a week, and this increase 
of weight requires an additional quantity of food as the ducks 
grow. As in feeding all animals, however, so in feeding the duck, 
it is better that they have not quite enough than that they have 
too much. If they are given only what they will eat with relish. 

28 



they will be ready for the next meal with an appetite that will 
greatly assist in digesting and assimilating their foods. It is im- 
perative that the. feeding troughs be kept scrupulously clean. If 
any feed is left it should be removed, and not left to sour. A 
simple trough made of five- or six-inch boards is the most con- 
venient receptacle in which to give them their feed. The trough 
should be of sufficient length to avoid crowding. 

Water Supply 

Though a pond or water in large quantities is not necessary 
for the Indian Runner, yet an abundant supply for drinking is 
absolutely essential. The food of the duck is such that it re- 
quires them to drink when eating, for the food being compara- 
tively dry, can not be eaten hurriedly like grain. When feed- 
ing, therefore, always fill up the water troughs or fountains with 
a fresh supply of water. A duck when eating will eat a small 
quantity and then run to the water trough for a drink. She will 
go from food to water and from water to food several times dur- 
ing a meal. One of the simplest and most convenient methods of 
supplying water for grown ducks is ordinary five-quart pails. 
The pail is superior to a shallow trough because within the pail 
the water is deep enough so that the ducks can immerse thei r 
heads. This is necessary in order that the ducks may keep their 
noses clear of food stuffs and dirt. Smaller ducks should be 
given their water in a fountain or in some way so that they can 
not get into it with their feet or get wet. 

Oyster Shells and Grit 

Grit in some form should be kept before the ducks at all times. 
Sand or grit in the mash tends to supply a certain amount of 
grinding material, but if it is constantly before them, the ducks 
will instinctively take the quantity needed. In addition to the 
sharp sand or grit, a box of oyster shells should be kept before 
them at all times. 

Fattening Foods 

A bulletin issued by the United States Department of Agri- 
culture gives the following excellent instructions for feeding 

29 



ducklings intended for the market at ten weeks old. 

"From time of hatching to five days old provide the follow- 
ing mixture : 

Cracker or bread crumbs and corn meal, equal parts bv 

measure 
Hard boiled eggs, 15 per cent of the total bulk of 

crackers and meal 
Sand, 5 per cent of the total of crackers and meal. 
Mix with water or milk and feed four times a day. 
From five to twenty days old, the following mixture: 

Wheat bran, two parts by measure 
Corn meal, one part 
Rolled oats, 50 per cent of this bulk 
Beef scraps, 5 per cent 
Sand, 5 per cent 
Green food, 10 per cent 

Mix with water to a dry, crumbly state and feed four 
times a day. 

From twenty to forty-two days old, the following mixture 
Wheat bran, two-. parts by measure 
Corn meal, one part 
Rolled oats, 50 per cent of this bulk 
Beef scraps, 5 per cent 
Sand, 5 per cent 
Green food, 10 per cent 

Mix with water to a dry, crumbly state and feed four 
times a day. 

From forty-two to seventy days old, the following mixture : 
Corn meal, two parts by measure 
Wheat bran, one part 
Beef scraps, 10 per cent of this bulk 
Coarse sand or grit, 5 per cent 
Green food, 10 per cent 

Mix with water to a dry, crumbly state and feed foir 
times a day. 

30 



CHAPTER VII 

Housing the Indian Runner Duck 

Housing the Indian Runner duck is not so expensive as housing 
chickens. The main requirements are a shelter and a dry floor. 
The duck with her coat of down can withstand a great deal more 
cold than can a chicken, but she sits on the floor, which must be 
perfectly dry. Dampness will cause rheumatism, which is about 
the only disease to which the Indian Runner is liable. 

A low shed facing the south and closed in on the east, north, 
and west, is quite sufficient shelter for the Indian Runner in any 
but a very cold climate. The duck reo«ires in her house no 
roosting poles, no nests, in a ;ord, no tyv dture. All she asks 
is a straw bed on the ground. The bedding should be changed 
often enough to keep it clean and dry. 




Duck house 114 ft. long to accommodate 500 Indian Runners. 



The accompanying cut is from a photograph of a duck house 
on my farm, which was taken when the house was in course of 
construction. The length is 114 feet, the width, fourteen feet, 
and the height, four feet at the back and seven feet in front. It 
is divided into pens, varying in size from 8x14 feet to 14x14 feet. 

31 



It will accommodate 300 to 500 ducks. The opening in the front 
is to be closed by means of sliding canvas windows, which may 
be opened and closed to control temperature and ventilation. A 
house after this plan may be built of any length. I use this house 
for my laying or breeding 'ducks. 

Brooder Houses* 

The general construction of a brooder house is similar to that 
of the breeding house and differs only in interior arrangements. 
The latter has no interior arrangements whatever, while the 
brooder house has the system of heating and covers necessary 
for giving warmth to the young stock. In fig. 15 is shown a 
design of a single brooder house and ground plan that is generally 
used by duck raisers. This house should be built upon a good 
foundation and be entirely oroof against rats. A good plan is to 
sink half-inch wire me c ! about 2 feet in the ground s*id around 
the entire inside of the building ; this will make it perfectly secure 
against rats and mice. 

The accepted plan of a brooder house makes it 15 feet wide 
and as long as desired. The building is 4 feet high in front and 



BRBOOCRS K*LK BOOOOIIS 




m 


M 


IHI 


INI 


M 


INI 


INI 


IHI 


IMF 


IHI 


Irf 


iNI 


INI 


INI 


IMI 


INI 


IMI 


lt=U 


INI 


IMI 


Bu 


















P 


f 


N 


s 



















■HCATC*. 



GROUND PLAN. 




Fig". 15- — Single brooder house and ground plan. 

5 feet in rear. It is divided into pens 12 feet long and 6 feet wide, 
and has a 3-foot passageway extending the entire length of the 

32 



building. The ground plan (fig. 15) shows the general arrange- 
ment of the interior and location of the brooders. 

The brooder box is next to the passageway or walk, and runs 
the entire length of the building. This box is 30 inches wide and 
8 inches high; the sides are 7 inches high and nailed securely; 
the top of the cover is nailed across with cleats to make it sub- 
stantial, and the cover has an inch strip nailed underneath in 
front and back to keep it in position. These strips rest against 
the 7-inch sides and make the brooder snug and tight when 
closed. The heating pipes are directly beneath the cover and are 
2-inch pipes, flow and return. Some prefer i-inch pipes, using 
two flows and two returns. When three pipes are used, they 





wtm 



Fig. 16 — Plans of brooder box. 
33 



should be about 8 inches apart from center to center. These 
pipes rest on the partition boards of the pens. The front of the 
brooder leading into the pens is cut out in the center about 4 
inches deep and 4 feet long (fig. 16, A), while the ends and the 
other side are solid, being 7 inches high. The construction of the 
brooder is clearly shown in fig. 16, B, with cover removed ; 
while fig 16, C, shows cover. The heater is located at the end of 
the building. 

Another plan of brooder house is that shown in fig. 17. This 
house is known as a double brooder house, with walk in the center 
and pens on either side, and with heater at the end. Many prefer 
this plan to the single brooder house, as the care and attention 
required for the youngsters is much less and the cost of heating 
is reduced, one heater being sufficient for both lines of pipes. 
Then, again, this latter plan shortens the length of the building 
by one-half and makes the work more concentrated. The arrange- 
ment of the interior is the same as that of the single brooder house. 
*Farmers' Bulletin. 

The plans of brooder houses, as given above, are for duck- 
lings from the time they are taken from the machines until they 
are ready for the cold brooder house, or growing house. The 
young ducklings, when taken from the nest or incubator, are 
very delicate and susceptible to the changes of the atmosphere ; 
they must be kept very warm and free from chilling. The first 
three weeks of a duckling's life are the most critical period, and 
after that time the liabilities of loss are reduced to a very low 
rate — hardly five to the hundred. The front of brooders for 
young ducklings should be hung with strips of woolen cloth to 
keep in the warmth of the brooder. The greatest care should be 
given them at this period ; the duck raisers really consider it the 
most important part of their work, and after a bird has passed 
the 'critical age" it may be counted on for the market. 

Usually the care of the ducklings at this age is given to the 
women. They are more careful of the wants of the youngsters 
and attend to the detail work religiously. A case is known of a 
single attendant living, as it were, in the brooder house with the 
ducklings. She began her work with the morning feed at 6 a. m., 
and until sundown, when the night's meal was given, she was 

34 



with her charges. The cleanliness of the brooder and pen was 
carefully attended to and everything was done to promote the 
health, and comfort of the youngsters. At night they were all 
in their brooders and as snug as it was possible for them to be. 
A single neglect in the starting of a duckling will result in loss 
to the raisers. System is the key to the situation, and there 
should be no deviation from it whatever. 




d^i=H^l^l^|=H>^hFli^l^^tftfc^ 



/V 



GROUND PLAN. 



Fig. 17 — Plans of a double brooder house. 

The duckling goes from the warm brooder house to the cold 
brooder house. The latter house is planned in a way similar to 
the former, with the exception of the 30-inch brooders. When 
the birds are taken from the warm brooder house they are three 
weeks old and of sufficient age to withstand a cooler temperature. 
They do not need the extra heat of the warm house, and in it 
would not grow nearly so well. The size of pens in the growing 
house is larger, and the ducklings are now crowded so many in 
a pen. If the birds are to be raised in colonies of one hundred 
each, the accommodations should be ample for them. It has never 
been proved to be good policy to crowd the growing stock; it 
retards their growth and encourages disease. 

The cold brooder house should have a system of heating if 
the birds are to be raised for an early market. The same system 



35 



of pipes used in the warm brooders should be run around the sides 
of the building, about 2 or 3 feet from the floor. This will give 
sufficient heat for the house and keep the birds comfortable. 
These pipes may be connected with the same heater used for 
running the warm brooder pipes. In the Northern States, raisers 
equip brooder houses with both sets of pipes, so as to be prepared 
for extremely cold weather. 

An excellent plan is shown in fig. 18 for the arrangements of 





R 


U 


N 


S 




































P 


£ 


N 


$ 




1 ! 

1 *< 1 


B- 


R 


p 





P 




£ 

£ 


N 

R 


S 










mm mm mm mm IHHffi www MM www WM ffll www wwi 


... - 








P 


£ 


N 


s 




mm 


mm 


mm 


w» 


m\ 


m\m 


m% 


wm 


tltK 


mm 


mm 


HfHH 


. 


[»- 






P 


R 

£ 



N 



s 





£ 


R 


s A 


R 


u 


N 


S 

































Fig. 18 — Plan of a double brooder, showing arrangement 

of heating pipes. 

the heater for connecting the pipes in the warm and cold double 
brooder house. It will be seen that the heater is placed in the 
center of the building; the warm brooder house is shown on the 
right and the cold brooder house with runs attached is shown on 
the left, and pipes, indicated by dotted lines, run in both directions. 
This is the most economical house to build and lessens the work 
in attending the stock. The room in the center of the building 
will be found very useful and is generally used as the feed room. 
The heater is in the cellar beneath this room. This plan is 
used by one of the largest and most successful raisers of ducks 
on Long Island, and it has his highest indorsement. 

36 




Fig. 19 — House for growing ducks. 

The building may be of any size, the plan being as successfully 
carried out on a large scale as on a small one. If a small build- 
ing is used at first, it may be enlarged on either end to suit the 
growing business and extended upward of 100 feet in either direc- 
tion, thus making the building more than 200 feet in length. The 
heater must be considered, when put in, with this object in view. 
A heater capable of heating the 200-foot house can easily 1 
regulated to heat one of 50 feet, but a heater that will heat prop- 
erly only a 50- foot or 100-foot house would be insufficient to heat 
the larger one. 

Another difference between the cold brooder house and the 
warm brooder house is that the former has outside runs attached. 




Fig. 20 — Two-pen house for growing ducks. 

These runs are used for feeding and watering when the weather 
permits, instead of the feeding troughs inside the house. The 

37 



ducks should be allowed the freedom of the outside runs as soon 
as the weather is suitable. Ducks like a life in the outer world, 
and they will grow more rapidly there than when they are con- 
fined to the house. 

Ducklings are kept in the cold brooder house until they are 6 
or 7 weeks old, when they are transferred to larger "growing 
houses." It is here that they are pushed for the market until 
they are 10 weeks old, when they are salable. There is no heat 
in the growing houses, which are used only as a means of shelter 
during the early spring months. When the weather is well ad- 
vanced, the ducks seldom take to the houses at night ; they prefer 
the outside and spend their nights on the ground. The growing 
houses should be abundantly ventilated, as too close an atmosphere 
will do more harm in a single night than if they had not bee 
housed at all. 




Fig. 21 — Three-pen house for growing ducks. 

A Pekin duck at io weeks is quite large, weighing close to 
4 pounds. It is quite as large as a full-grown duck of some of 
the other varities. In the space of two or three weeks from the 
time the ducklings are placed in the growing houses they will be 
marketed at the weight of four to five and one-half pounds each. 
This weight is easily obtained, and when reached the profitable 
time to sell has arrived, as they then command the best prices. 
Often a bird kept after this time loses in weight and becomes 
unprofitable. The growing houses are built after the plan of the 

38 



breeding bouses, only much smaller. They need not be more tha 
4 or 5 feet high in rear and I or 2 feet high in front. Such a 
house is shown in fig. 19. This and other houses shown in figs. 
20 and 21 may be built singly or in rows, with 12-inch boards 
separating the runs. 

CAPTER VIII 

Marketing Indian Runner Ducks and Eggs 

The first thing is to find a market. It is sometimes easier t°- 
produce a commodity than to find a buyer. The poultry raiser, 
however, finds but little difficulty in the sale of his product. The 
man who produces a work of art, invents a machine, or manu- 
factures a delicacy, may find sale for his product, and he may 
not ; for people can live without works of art, machines, and del- 
icacies. But the man who produces a necessity of life, a food, is 
almost certain to find a market for what he produces, for even if 
men do not live to eat, they must eat to live. The poultry-raiser, 
therefore, has a business practically free from speculation. 

Finding a market is somewhat dependent upon the nature of 
your product, or what you have for sale. For convenience we 
may divide the products of the poultryman into four classes: 
market fowls, fancy fowls, commercial eggs, and eggs for hatch- 
ing. The producer of market fowls and commercial eggs will 
experience little difficulty in finding a market. Almost every 
grocery store in every small town is a market for commercial 
poultry and eggs. One may often get a higher price, however, 
by contracting to supply hotels, restaurants, or private homes 
with fresh fowls and eggs. Then one may ship both fowls and 
eggs to the commission merchants in large cities. 

Ducks usually demand a higher price when dressed. There 
are two methods of dressing ducks for the market : by dry pick- 
ing and by scalding. Some have preference for the one method, 
and others for the other. A duck when dressed for market should 
have left on it the feathers on the wing, the tail feathers, and the 
feathers on the head and neck. The legs are left on and generally 
the entrails are not removed. The birds are killed by making a 
cut across the roof of the mouth just below the eyes with a 

39 



sharp knife, and then striking their- heads against a post or some 
hard substance. After the birds are picked, they should be 
hardened or plumped by placing them in a tank or barrel of ice 
water for several hours. For shipping, pack them in barrels or 
boxes. The first or bottom ones are packed with backs down, 
a layer of ice is then placed over them, and all other layers are 
packed with the breasts down, a layer of ice being between the 
layers of ducks. 

Strictly fresh eggs are always in demand, especially in the 
large cities. Eggs wrapped in tissue paper, packed in neat paste- 
board boxes, and labeled "guaranteed not more than forty-eight 
hours old," bring fancy prices. Restaurants, hotels, and espec- 
ially bakeries will often pay a higher price for a duck egg than 
for a hen egg. Two duck eggs are said to be equal to three hen 
eggs for culinary purposes. The ingenious poultryman will 
usually find some way to get more than the ordinary market price 
for his produce. More failures are made in the poultry business 
through lack of business management than through an inabilit 
to raise poultry, but anyone who will think and hustle a little 
can find market for commercial eggs. 

Selling fancy poultry is somewhat different from selling com- 
mercial poultry. In the first place, you must have the blood lines : 
in the second place, you must take good care of your stock; and 
in the third place, you must let people who know the value o 
blooded stock know that you have it. Among other things that 
you must do if you are going to sell fancy stock, you must win 
the blue in the exhibition room. Even though, for reasons too 
obvious to mention, the blue ribbon does not always go to the best 
fowl, yet to win the prize has its weight and bearing upon the 
public mind. Usually the man who thinks all the poultry judges 
a set of grafters is the man who has not spent sufficient time and 
money in the production of his stock. The show room, after all. 
is the test of fancy qualities, and the man who would sell fancv 
stock must stand the test. 

Eggs for hatching are in great demand. More people every 
year are becoming awakened to the value of blooded stock. The 
breeder who has thoroughbred Indian Runner ducks will ex- 
perience but little trouble in disposing of his eggs for hatching. 

40 



A few classified advertisements in good poultry journals will often 
sell thousands of these eggs. 

Advertising 

Many questions will arise, such as: In what paper shall I 
advertise ? How much shall I invest? What shall I say? Now, a 
piece of sound advice to beginners. Choose some dependable 
poultry journal that has been in business long enough to prove 
the reliability of its managers; then write the editor or advertising 
manager a frank letter, telling him what you have to sell and ask 
his advice about when and how to advertise. Some people would 
listen to anybody else rather than a publisher. They think he is 
only after the money. It will probably be no injustice to concede 
that publishers, like all the rest of us, want money, but it is no 
advantage to a reputable publisher, or to any publisher for that 
matter, to take your money and give you nothing in return. It is 
the publisher's first and most ardent desire that the advertiser 
receive satisfactory returns from his advertisements. A satisfied 
customer to the publisher — and you will find that the same is 
true with the poultryman — is his most valuable asset. The re- 
liable publisher is the producer's best friend. He knows what 
the people want, and if he knows what you have to sell he can 
do you good. The amount you should invest is wholly depe 
ent upon how much you have to sell. If a classified advertisement 
will sell all you have, it is foolish to invest in a page advertise- 
ment. Better begin small and increase than begin large and de- 
crease. People would rather patronize a growing man than a 
dying man. As a matter of fact, every poultryman is not a literary 
man or an advertising manager. Here, again, the publisher can 
serve you. Tell him in plain, "homespun" English just what you 
have to sell, and he will write your advertisement in an attractive 
and winning style. When answers come in from your advertise- 
ment, reply at once. Everybody is in a hurry today, and you must 
hustle or lose. Above all, never promise something that you can 
not live up to. Better do a little more than you promise; put in 
an egg extra, or, if you are short of one quality, substitute a little 
better one. The mail order business is the order of the day, and 
there are unlimited possibilities for the man who will do honest 
advertising and then live up to his word. 

41 



CHAPTER IX 

Mating 

In mating three questions should be asked : ( i ) How to mate 
for the fertility of the eggs. (2) Are the males and females re- 
lated? (3) Shall I mate for egg production or for exhibition 

stock? 

Mating ducks for fertility is much easier than in mating some 
other fowls. If your stock is strong and healthy, mate one male 
to seven females. It is supposed that the sex of the offspring is 
influenced somewhat by the number of ducks mated to a drake. 
The supposition is that the more ducks you mate to one drake 
the more females will hatch from the eggs, and that the fewer 
ducks you mate to one drake the more males you will hatch. Any 
number from five to eight females with one male should produce 
fertile eggs. When eggs are wanted for market or for packing, 
it is not necessary to have the drakes with the ducks. In fact, 
infertile eggs keep better. 

The question of relation is one of the most important ques- 
tions in breeding. Breeding brothers and sisters, or ducks 
hatched from the same breeding pen, commonly called inbreeding, 
is destructive to the health and vitality of your flock. Great care 
should be exercised, therefore, in mating to breed together un- 
related stock only. Exhibition stock or a good layng strain can 
not be built up by careless inbreeding, for all good qualities are 
founded on health and vitality. Most careful breeders procure 
new drakes for their breeding pens every year, unless they are 
line breeding. 

What is known as line breeding is in a sense inbreeding, but 
it is not careless, haphazard inbreeding. It is a scientific method 
whereby the good qualities of the parent stock are stamped again 
and again upon the progeny. One method of line breeding is to 
mate your original pair or foundation stock and then mate the 

42 



best females hatched from them back to their father and the 
males back to their mother j thus making for the second year two 
pens or flocks, "A" and "B." The third year take the best fe- 
males from pen "A" and mate them to the best males from pen 
"B," and the best females from pen "B" and mate them to the 
best males from pen "A," thus making for this year two more 
pens, "C" and "D." By continuing in this way you can develop 
or at least perpetuate the good qualties of the parent stock. 

It would be ideal, of course, to breed in the same birds fancy 
qualities and great layers, but this is not always possible. The 
best show birds are not always the best layers. Sometimes, there- 
fore, we must decide before mating whether we are going to mate 
for exhibition stock or for egg production. If for egg produc- 
tion, then choose the best .laying females and mate them to the 
drake whose offspring has layed the most eggs ; if for exhibition 
stock, choose the males and females that come nearest to the 
standard of perfection and breed them together. In mating for 
egg production, especially, one should remember that the drake 
is half the flock. It is not good policy to mate your good laying 
females to a drake that has never produced good laying ducks. 



V* 



43 



CHAPTER X 

A Friendly Warning 

Every business, as a rule, has its share of fakes and fakers. To 
this rule the Indian Runner duck business is no exception. In 
sounding this friendly warning, however, it is not my intention to 
personate, or to run down any particular breeder, but to inform 
those who have not already learned it by experience that they 
must be careful in purchasing both stock and eggs. 

It is not uncommon, with some breeders, to buy eggs at whole- 
sale, from anybody and everybody and then to sell them as eggs 
from their own advertised breeding pens. If you want eggs from 
thoroughbred stock from which to hatch breeders, you should 
buy from a careful breeder, not from a huckster. It is cheaper, if 
you want ordinary eggs, to go to the market and buy them. I 
know of some prominent breeders of Indian Runners who bought 
last year thousands of eggs from others and sold them for breed- 
ing purposes. They then advertised how many thousands of eggs 
they had sold from their breeding pens. 

A prominent breeder of Indian Runners wrote me that people 
were buying his white Runner drakes to breed with fawn and 
white ducks, and thus attempting to raise white Indian Runners. 
Others, in order to supply the popular demand for the white 
variety of Indian Runners, are crossing the fawn and white 
Indian Runners with the white Pekin duck. 

In view of these and many other similar circumstances, the 
buyer can readily perceive the necessity of exercising the great- 
est care in the purchase of Indian Runner duck eggs for hatching. 

For one cause or another a great deal of unreliable informa- 
tion concerning the Indian Runner duck has been given out to the 
uninformed public. As a consequence, only those who have 
spent time and effort to adequately inform themselves have any- 

44 



thing like a definite conception of the origin, history, and salient 
characteristics of the true Indian Runner duck. Breeders of the 
American Standard duck have published the statement that the 
English penciled Runner is a worthless mongrel, and that she 
lays a great many green or tinted shelled eggs. Breeders of the 
English penciled variety, on the other hand, have not been slow 
to characterize the American Standard birds as mongrels un- 
worthy the name, Indian Runner. The latter have claimed for 
the penciled variety that they lay only a pure white egg, and have 
accused the American Standard duck of laying the tinted egg. 

By one or the other of these conflicting statements many are 
misled and misinformed, and many more are confused. The 
letters I have received from different parts of the country indicate 
that a great number of people have anything but a clear concep- 
tion of what the Indian Runner duck is or should be. 

At the present time there is absolutely but one way to be safe 
in buying either stock or eggs of the Indian Runner duck — buy 
from a breeder whose knowledge, experience, and honesty you 
can rely upon. Many young breeders and some old ones have 
been discouraged with raising Indian Runners on account of hav- 
ing purchased inferior stock. By studying carefully the descrip- 
tions given in other chapters of this book, and by exercising due 
care and caution, any breeder should be able to purchase birds 
possessing all the characteristics of the most popular and valuable 
bird of the duck family — the Indian Runner. 



^ 



45 



CHAPTER XI 

Advice to Beginners 

The first and best advice for a beginner in the Indian Runner 
duck business is, start right. By starting right I mean get good 
stock and learn how to handle it. Since the Indian Runner has 
become so popular, hundreds of careless breeders have offered 
stock and eggs for sale that are unworthy the name Indian Runner. 
Since it is not my aim to expose and harrangue imposters, how- 
ever, I will content myself by giving the beginner a few simple 
rules by whch he can tell the spurious from the genuine. 

Frst, get clearly in your mind that there are three varieties 
of the Indian Runner : the American Standard light fawn and 
white, the English penciled, and the pure white. Decide which 
variety you want and ask the man you buy from for just what 
you want in words that he can not misunderstand. When you 
write to a breeder ask him what varieties he breeds and if each 
variety is carefully and separately bred. To make a success one 
must breed each variety in its purity. If you want standard bred 
stock you do not want them pencled, for penciling is condemned 
by the American standard. If you want the English penciled 
duck get it in its purity. If you want pure white Runners you 
do not want off colored specimens, but birds with crystal white 
plumage. If you want birds for commercial eggs the dark fawn 
penciled ducks are just as good as the light fawn and white or 
pure white ducks and the utility birds are just as good layers as 
the fancy birds. But do not send only $1.00 to a breeder for a 
setting of eggs and then expect to raise high class exhibition 
birds. If you do you will be disappointed. Sometimes good, 
first class birds are raised from common breeders, but "like 
begets like" is a law full of meaning in the poultry business. If 
you want to raise exhibition stock, buy eggs from good birds. A 
setting of eggs may cost you a considerable sum, but at the end 

46 



of the season, having raised some fine specimens you can look 
upon your summer's work with delight and satisfaction. Of 
course, all the eggs from exhibition stock will not bring show 
birds, but you will generally get a large percentage of good birds 
for breeders and some for exhibition, thus giving you a good 
foundation for another year. Now, whether you want eggs for 
commercial purposes or for breeding purposes you want white 
eggs. Possibly you know that some Indian Runners lay a green 
or tinted egg. No duck breeder should allow in his breeding 
pens a duck that lays a green egg. If every duck breeder will cull 
out the ducks that lay the green eggs and cut off their heads, 
Indian Runners that lay tinted eggs will soon be a thing of the 
past. 

How much you pay for your stock should depend upon your 
aim. If you want to raise ducks for market any of the Indian 
Runners will do, but if you want fancy or exhibition stock, you 
should get only the Standard light fawn and white variety from 
a reliable breeder that has good matings. Utility stock, as it is 
called, or common stock can be bought cheap, but well marked 
standard stock is more expensive. 

Get interested in your poultry keeping, read poultry books, 
and a good poultry journal, economize in your production, man- 
age carefully your marketing, and you may hope for success. 



N£ 



47 



CHAPTER XII 

Indian Runner Questions 

Question. What is the Indian Runner duck? 

Answer. A medium sized duck, slender in shape, erect in 
carriage, and noted for egg production. They came originally 
from India, and, unlike other ducks, they do not waddle, but 
literally run ; hence their name, "Indian Runner." 

Q. What color are they? 

A. The American Standard variety is marked with a beauti- 
ful light fawn in contrast to pure white. The English Standard 
calls for dark fawn penciling in contrast to pure white. Still 
another variety is pure white. 

Q. Which variety is best ? 

A, Since only the light fawn and white variety is admitted 
to the American Standard, they are best for exhibition purposes, 
but the penciled and the pure white are equally as good for laying. 

Q. Are they profitable as egg producers? 
A. Yes, very profitable. With proper care they will lay 
from eight to ten months in the year. 

Q. Are they hard to care for? 

A. No, they require only ordinary care. 

Q. Do they all lay equally well ? 

A. They all lay well, but the laying qualities of some strains 
have been improved by careful breeding. 

Q. Where can I get good stock and eggs? 
A. v From the author of this book or from any breeders who ■ t 
advertisement appears herein. 

Q. How long does it take a duck egg to hatch ? 
A. About 28 days. 

48 



Q. How should the ducklings be fed and cared for ? 

A. See instructions in chapter VI of this book. 

O. How many ducks should be mated to a drake? 

A. From six to eight. 

Q. At what age do Indian Runner ducks begin to lay? 
A. At about five months. 

Q. Do they lay all winter in the South ? 
A. Yes; with good care they will also lay in cold climates 
during the winter months. 

Q. Can the eggs for hatching be shipped without injuring 
fertility ? , 

A. Yes, if properly packed they can be safely shipped for a 
long distance. 

Q. Can live ducks be shipped? 

A. Yes, they are being shipped across the continent and even 
from Europe to America. 

Q. Which is better to start with, ducks or eggs ? 

A. That depends upon your circumstances. Eggs are cheaper, 
but stock is quicker. 

Q. How do you ship? 

A. By express, at purchaser's expense. 

Q. When is the best time of the year to ship eggs? 

A. From January to July. 

Q. Is it necessary to have a pond or running water for 
Indian Runners? 

A. No, it is necessary to have water only for drinking. 

Q. Will they lay if their feathers are plucked ? 

A. No, if you wish them to lay pluck the feathers during 
moulting time only, July and August. 

Q. How can you tell the ducks from the drakes? 

A. By their voices, their shapes, and their feathers. The 
ducks have a coarse quack, the drakes a fine voice. The drake is 
usually a little longer than the duck. The drake also has a stiff 
curl of feathers on his tail. 

Q. When should I mate my breeding pen? 

A. Any time from October to January. 

Q. How many ducks can be kept together successfully. 

A. For best results not more than from twenty to thirty. 

49 



CHAPTER XIII 

Duck Don'ts 

i 

Don't begin with inferior stock. 

Don't begin too big. 

Don't put all your money into stock; save some for feed and 
housing. 

Don't listen to everybody's advice ; ask a reliable breeder. 

Don't get discouraged if you have a few failures ; we all have 
them. 

Don't trust to* "luck," it is poor policy. Roll up your sleeves 
and make things go. 

Don't worry if somebody else gets ahead of you; keep plod- 
ding and you will reach the goal of success by and by. 

Don't expect to breed fine stock, prize winners, and good 
layers without work. 

Don't keep too many drakes in your breeding pens ; one drake 
to six or eight ducks is about right. 

Don't try to breed all varieties from one mating ; classify yom 
stock and breed only the best. 

Don't forget the requirements of the standard when mating 
if you want to raise show birds. 

Don't expect to breed winners from scrub stock. 

Don't forget to take care of the sitting hen. 

Don't buy a cheap incubator. 

Don't forget to take care of the incubator lamp and to turn 
the eggs. 

Don't leave rotten eggs in the nest or in the machine. 

Don't expect a lousy hen to set good. 

Don't put too many duck eggs under a hen ; eleven is about 
the right number. 

Don't keep your duck eggs too long and then expect them to 
hatch. 

50 



Don't hatch more ducklings than you can care for. 

Don't expect ducklings, like weeds, to grow up without your 
care. 

Don't allow your ducklings to chill. 

Don't shut ducklings in a brooder with no air, but avoid 
draughts. 

Don't neglect to provide shade during the hot months. 

Don't give up in despair if a few ducklings die ; find out what 
is the matter and remove the cause. 

Don't allow growing ducks too large a run; they run off 
almost as much flesh as you can put on. 

Don't omit beef scrap from the mash and expect your ducks 
to lay an egg every day ; they must have somethng to make eggs 
from. 

Don't forget to give your ducks plenty of oyster shells and grit. 

Don't allow your young ducks, after being deprived of water 
for a long time, to drink too much. 

Don't keep changing your feed. 

Don't change suddenly when you do have to change. 

Don't make too many changes in your attendants ; no two 
people feed just alike and your ducks will suffer. 

Don't omit beef scrap from the feed of your growing ducks ; 
they will get weak in the back and die. 

Don't fail to feed regularly. 

Don't keep your growing ducks too long in small quarters. 

Don't allow laying ducks to stay out in cold, stormy weathe; 
and expect them to lay. 

Don't allow laying ducks to be unhoused at night and expect 
winter eggs. 

Don't keep ducks in a damp place. 

Don't keep too many ducks together; not more than twenty- 
five or thirty in a pen. 

Don't keep changing ducks from one place to another; they 
love home and do better if allowed to remain in the same pen or 
house. 

Don't expect your business to run itself. 

Don't be afraid to say what you have and what you will take 
for it. 

Don't promise more than you can live up to. 

51 



Don't take more advertising space than you need, but take 
enough to let people know what you have. 

Don't neglect to answer inquiries promptly. 

Don't advertise one thing and send your customers something 
else "just as good." 

Don't sell for just any price. 

Don't allow anything to go out that is under value. 

Don't ship eggs poorly packed or ducks poorly dressed. 

Don't forget the golden rule. 



Ng 



52 



PART n. 

Personal Experiences and 

Valuable Advice of Five 

Leading Breeders of 

THE INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS. 



53 



THE STORY OF MY EXPERIENCE 

With 

ALL THE INDIAN RUNNERS. 

By Mrs. D. O. Teasley, 
Mgr. Monarch Poultry Farm, and Author of this book. 

Having been for some years a victim of chronic dyspepsia, 
I was compelled to discontinue not only my professional work as 
an evangelist, but also my work of every nature. I studied Food 
Chemistry, Scientific Dietetics, and everything else within my 
reach that held out a hope of health. Finally, by mere accident, 
there fell into my hands a poultry magazine. I read it and reread 
it until I was full of poultry enthusiasm. I bought poultry, sold 
poultry, and for one whole summer took a tent and literally lived 
out of doors with the poultry and did nothing else but raise 
Indian Runner ducks and White Orpingtons. Since the time 
when that poultry journal came into my hands, I have admired, 
read about, studied, experimented with, invested in, and bred 
fancy poultry to my heart's delight and to my physical upbuilding. 

Among my first poultry purchases was a pair of Indian Run- 
ner ducks. I cared for them as diligently as I could, and to say 
that the old duck astonished me is putting it mildly. She began 
to lay early in February, a few days after I had purchased her, 
and kept it up till she died. Having only the one duck and noth- 
ing to do but watch her, I kept a strict record of her eggs. She 
laid an egg every day for ninety days and missed only one day. 
How much longer she laid at this rate I do not know, for by that 
time I had purchased more ducks and Polly was turned into the 
pen with the rest, and her further egg record lost. 

My next purchase of Indian Runners was a flock of fifty, 
bought of a breeder who, on account of hindering circumstances, 
was going out of business. Though it was now quite late in the 
season, I began work in earnest. Orders for eggs soon began 

54 



to come in and I sold for hatching almost every tgg I could spare. 
I also purchased an incubator, and then another, and then still 
another, and began to hatch pretty little Runners by the hundreds. 
Besides my incubators I had as many as twenty hens setting at 
one time. 

Soon the lot of about an acre where I lived was too small ; 
but having moved to another place, I had more room and so 1 
continued to buy and to hatch ducks until I had it as full as 
my former place had been. By this time it required two ant. 
three hands to care for my flock. 

About this time my husband, who is a business man, fearing 
that I would go bankrupt, advised me to call a halt in my progress 
for a while. My confidence in the money-making qualities of 
the Indian Runner was so strong, however, and my enthusiasm 
was now so high, that I persuaded him to consent to my going 
ahead. And go ahead I did. I raised a nice flock that summer 
in spite of rats and bad luck of about six hundred fine Runners. 
Having purchased some of the best stock in the country at a 
fancy price, you may be assured that I had some fine birds. 

My first ducks were the penciled variety, but my second and 
most of my subsequent purchases were the American Standard 
light fawn and white. About eighty per cent of all the ducks I 
raised were the light fawn and white standard ducks. Fearing, 
however, that popular opinion might finally turn in favor of the 
English penciled duck, I raised some fine English Walton penciled 
birds. Later I purchased also some eggs of the pure white 
Runner, and still later sent to California for a shipment of white 
Runners direct from the original flock of that variety. Thus 
with the best blood I could find in the light fawn variety, with 
the English Waltons in their purity, and with white Runners 
from the original California flock, I had an excellent foundation 
for my now large breeding pens. 

Having outgrown my second place and having purchased my 
present Monarch Poultry Farm, I moved ducks by the hundreds 
and Kellerstrass Orpingtons not a few to their new quarters, 
where I now have plenty of room to expand. Here I have had 
erected large new buildings and have employed proficient help. 
These enable me to care for my beloved flock in a manner befitting 
the royal Indian Runner of the "Best blood lines in the world." 

55 



I am a believer in the maxim, "What is worth doing at all is 
worth doing well." Accordingly, when the time came to mate my 
flocks for the next year, I determined to employ the best judge 
in the country to classify, score, and mate my stock. My husband, 
having met Mr. H. A. Pickett, a poultry judge, at the poultry 
department of the Indiana State Fair, I resolved to watch the 
announcements of the poultry shows and see whether he was 
employed as judge at any of the prominent exhibitions. I did 
not have to look far until I saw his name as one of the judges 
at several such places as Chicago, 111., St. Louis, Mo., and 
Indianapolis, Ind. Being now convinced of his superior ability, 
I determined to have him at any cost to classify my stock and 
mate my breeding pens. I did not know how my stock might look 
to a stern and critical judge who was accustomed to dealing with 
the best stock the country affords, but I had confidence in his 
ability, was anxious to know the truth, and willing that rav stock 
should stand on its merits as viewed by one who knows. 

It was a joyful day for me when the judge came, but a more 
joyful one when he departed. Do not understand me to mean that 
there was anything about Judge Pickett personally that made 
his departure a time of rejoicing, to the contrary, he is a very 
agreeable gentleman. It was the news that he left me that made 
me glad. 

I will now step out and let the judge himself tell you what 
he found in my breeding pens. You will notice from the follow- 
ing letter, written me after he went home, that I also breed Keller- 
strass' White Olrpingtons. I would omit what he says about 
Orpingtons, and also the prices of eggs, but I would rather leave 
his letter just as he wrote it. 

Greentown, Ind., Nov. 7, 191 1. 
To whom it may concern : 

Having just returned from a trip to Anderson, Ind., where i 
haa the pleasure of mating some fine pens of Crystal White Or- 
pingtons and Indian Runner ducks for Mrs. D. O. Teasley, I take 
the opportunity of writing this letter in the interests of poultrv 
raisers 

It affords me great pleasure to recommend Mrs. Teasley's 
stock to the purchasing public. I especially recommend her higher 
grade pens. Many breeders expect just as good results from 

56 



their common stock as from their higher grade fowls, but this is 
not the case with Mrs. Teasley. Her stock is carefully classified 
and bred to produce the best. 

Her first pen of Crystal White Orpingtons is headed by one 
of the best male birds I ever saw. He is a cockerel from a $750 
pen of Kellerstrass' best birds. It is evident that the pen was 
a high class one or Mr. Kellerstrass would never have gotten such 
a high price for the birds. It is certainly a producing pen even 
if it throws no more good birds than this one fine cockerel which 
heads Mrs. Teasley's high class pen; but, to back up its breeding, 
the original pen has thrown several more fine cockerels. I have 
visited several yards this season and have failed oftener than I 
have succeeded in getting good breeding cockerels. A pen oi 
White Orpingtons that one can depend on is certainly something 
to be proud of, for there are not more than five per cent of th 
breeding pens of W T hite Orpingtons in the United States that 
can be depended upon to bring anything near like satisfactory 
results. So much for the head of this pen. 

The females are pullets with good white plumage, nice low 
combs, and every one of them beautiful red eyes. They have also 
that blocky Orpington type sought after by all, but attained bv a 
very few. Mrs. Teasley sells eggs from this choice pen at $8 per 
fifteen. 

Her pen two will be headed by a full brother to male heading 
pen one. Therefore, you are certain to get your money's worth 
from this pen also. Eggs $5 per fifteen. 

Her pen three should bring some good birds, for they have 
good blood lines behind them. Eggs $3 per filleen. You ought 
to get your money's worth even from this pen. 

Indian Runner Ducks. 

Mrs. Teasley has certainly gone to the limit in Indian Runners 
I really believe she is the only person in the state prepared to 
furnish customers just what they want in Indim Runners. Some 
are breeding the fawn and white, and some the penciled Runners; 
others are breeding the white Runners, and still. others are try- 
ing to breed penciled, fawn and white, and even white Runners 
all from the same mating. Such breeders do not know which 
they would rather have, and yet they are willing to sell anything 

57 



that the public will buy. This is not the case with Mrs. Teasley ; 
she stands for the best in all the Runners, separately and carefully 
bred. 

On entering her fine one hundred and fourteen foot breeding 
house, the first two pens you come to are two pens of magnificent 
white Runners. The first of these two pens is headed by a racy 
drake of excellent type and carriage, and pure white plumage. 
Mated to him are six white females of excellent quality. This 
pen should breed some fine exhibition birds. Mrs. Teasley offers 
eggs from this grand mating at $8 per thirteen. The second pen 
also contains a fine drake and six good females. Eggs $6 per 
thirteen. Most of the birds in these pens are direct from the 
original flock of white Runners in California, so you can rely on 
getting as good as there is when you purchase their eggs. 

Next is a pen of pure fawn and white Runners, which Mrs. 
Teasley has called her Gilt Edge Pen. These are certainly mag- 
nificent to look upon, and fit to grace the show room of any of 
our large national exhibitions. The next she calls her Special 
White Egged Strain Pen. In fact, when any duck from the best 
to the poorest in any pen lays a tinted or green egg, it gets its 
head across the chopping block. But this special white egged 
strain pen has a wonderful white egg strain pedigree back of it. 
The eggs from the two latter pens she is offering at $8 per 
thirteen. They are certainly a bargain to any one wanting high 
class fawn and white Runner eggs. 

The next pen contains twenty-one excellent fawn and white 
females and three very fine drakes. Eggs $3 per thirteen, $20 per 
one hundred. The next pen, or pen two, as she calls it, contains 
twenty extra fine fawn and white ducks and three very fine fawn 
and white drakes, same strain as her special mating. Eggs $2 per 
thirteen, $14 per one hundred. The next, or pen three, has fifty 
nice fawn and white ducks and ten fawn and white drakes. Eggs 
$2 per thirteen, $12 per one hundred. 

The next is the pen that is going to help make Mrs. Teasley 
famous as an Indian Runner duck breeder. This pen contains 
one very fine drake and five magnificent ducks of the English 
Walton Runners in their purity. They have that beautiful soft 
penciling so much admired by the English breeders. Wake up, 
penciled breeders and advocates, take off your hats to Mrs. 

58 



Teasley just long enough to show respect, and then if they are 
what you want, roll up your sleeves and jump right in and help 
boom the penciled duck. They will be just as nice, just as 
catchy, and just as popular as any other Runners if they are 
properly bred, so that we can see some of the old partridge cochin 
penciling. The trouble with the penciled duck in this country is 
that every breeder has been trying to- get both penciled and fawn 
and white from the same mating. Penciled Indian Runner ad- 
mirers, try a setting of eggs from this mating. Mrs. Teasley is 
certainly loyal to the penciled variety when she offers eggs from 
this grand mating at $3 per thirteen straight. 

Then she has a pen of about fifty very nice American penciled 
Runners that are very catchy. Eggs $1 per thirteen or $5 per one 
hundred. She also has a pen of about sixty light fawn and white 
utility birds from which she sells eggs at $1 per thirteen or $7 per 
one hundred. 

Who can beat Mrs. Teasley for variety in Runners with each 
breed in its purity? I can heartily recommend Mrs. leasley as 
a true and loyal fancier and breeder. 

H. A. PICKETT, 

Poultry Judge. 



59 



ENGLISH PENCILED INDIAN RUNNERS 

By Mrs. Andrew Brooks, Auburn, N. Y. 

The English penciled Indian Runners are the original Indian 
Runners as introduced into this country from England about 
fifteen years ago, or, as some writers claim, only ten or twelve 
years ago. The other varieties of Runners owe their origin, or 
were developed from the old type recognized by the English 
Standard as a distinct and established breed. The English Stand- 
ard and the standard of the English Indian Runner Duck Club 
require and describe the preferred style of penciling. 

For the benefit of the many who breed to the English Standard 
or for those who contemplate a start in English Runners, I will 
give a brief description from the standard of the English Indian 
Runner Duck Club, which is the accepted standard in England 
and used by judges there. 

The head is flattened over the skull and the eyes are close up 
to the top. The bill is strong, broad at the base where it fits into the 
skull, and comes as nearly as possible straight down to the tip, 
giving it a wedge-shaped appearance. When viewed in profile 
the bill appears rather broad and heavy and not pointed. The 
neck should be long, thin, and fine, with a funnel-shaped expan- 
sion at the base of the neck. This funnel-shaped expansion should 
gradually fit into the upper part of the body so as to appear almost 
a part of it. The head and neck should be carried high and 
slightly forward. The cap and cheek markings should be near 
the color of the body and should be of a dull bronze-green shade 
in the drake. In most specimens a line of white from one-eighth 
to a quarter of an inch separates the bill from the head markings 
by a projection of the white from the neck extending up to the 
eye in a narrow line more or less encircling the eyes. The neck 
should be white to near where the expansion begins. The bills, 
light orange-yellow in the young, but, when the bird is over a year 
old, green spots show and extend over the entire mandible, be- 

60 



coming a dull cucumber shade in duck and a greenish-yellow in 
the drake. Body color should be uniform throughout, a soft warm 
or ginger fawn shade being most desirable. This depends to 
some extent upon the amount of bleaching and fading by exposure 
and sunshine. The rump of the drake is of a hue similar to his 
head markings, while his body feathers show a soft fawn color 
finely peppered or penciled with a warmer shade. Breast feathers 
of the duck are fawn with centers slightly darker than the lacing 
or penciling. The outer edges only of these feathers are visible, 
thus the breast and flanks appear to be an almost solid fawn of 
even hue. The feathers on shoulders and back usually show the 
penciling more distinctly, but when viewed at a distance of a 
few yards the two shades appear blended in one solid shade of 
true fawn. The fawn of the breast extends to a point about 
one-half way between the point of the breastbone and legs and 
should be evenly cut across the body to meet the white portion of 
the body plumage. The fawn of the neck, top part of wings, back, 
and tail should be as nearly as possible the same color as the breast, 
and from the fawn on back the color extends on each side down- 
wards and backwards behind the thighs. It is desirable that the 
primary and secondary flight feathers be white; if colored, they 
must be of the same color as the back and breast. At early 
stages of growth both sexes are similar in appearance, are of a 
dull brownish color, and moult at the age of about twelve weeks. 
Then they gradually attain full plumage and correct color. Adults 
of both sexes molt into dusky brown color in the autumn and 
regain the fawn color about two months after. The legs must 
be placed well back to maintain the distinctive Indian Runner 
carriage and to allow the rapid gait from which the bird derived 
the latter part of its name — Runners. 

The English Standard mentions that Indian Runners are 
layers of a great number of white eggs, that constitution is 
needed to produce them, and that the breeding of small sized 
and bulky keely specimens is discouraged, as these are less able 
foragers. The ability to forage depends upon proper structure, 
and as it is the most valuable characteristic of the breed, foraging 
ability must be preserved. A medium size is advised, with good 
length. Appearance and activity are a better guide than weight 
or measurement. 

61 



Ducks should weigh from three and one-half to four and 
one-half pounds. Drakes, from four to five pounds. Ducks 
should measure 25 to 30 inches; drakes, from 28 to 36 inches. 
The above are fairly good weights and lengths, but must count for 
nothing unless accompanied by type in well balanced proportion?. 
It is often best for a judge to see a bird on the run before he 
places the award. Above all, type should occuply first place and 
receive chief attention, and on no account must type be sacrificed 
for evenness of color and markings. Only 25 points out of the 
100 are allotted to color markings and condition. This is as it 
should be. 

If every shape and type made a breed, this rule holds in the 
case of the Indian Runner, it is plainly to be seen that penciling 
belongs to the breed, and the English Standard closes the door 
on an unpenciled duck or drake minus the dark head and rump 
markings. The American Standard for Indian Runners requires 
a solid shade of fawn with no penciling; hence, English Indian 
Runners have been awarded no prizes when in competition with 
the American Standard show type. Nevertheless, the Engl'V 
birds have made an astounding increase in numbers. Large shows 
like Chicago and New York have made classes for them, so it may 
be confidently expected that small shows all over the country wi" 
do likewise if breeders request it. The popularity of the penciled 
Runners will continually increase. They are the greatest acquisi- 
tion of the age to our poultry resources, for they are especially 
adapted to the warmer parts of our country, where, it is said, they 
know no difference in seasons, but lay every month in the year. 

Penciled Runners are heard from in many countries, an 
have won fame for themselves in the Australian Egg-Laying 
Competitions. Secretary Dunnicliffe of Hawksbury Agricultural 
College says that the ducks that made the greatest records were 
straight English Standard Runners ; that they countenance no 
others in shows or in laying competitions ; that some breeders had 
bred in Rouen blood to get size, but that it at once lowered egg 
production. In the eighth annual competition (Hawksbury) two 
.pens of Indian Runners made an average of about 200 eggs for 
each duck. A notable incident in connection with this test was 
the fact that, no meat being obtainable for both hens and ducks, 

62 



the ducks made this record without meat food in the mash such 
as was fed to the hens. In the ninth annual competition the best 
record for hens was won by White Leghorne — 1324 eggs in 
twelve months from six hens. The two years' competition was 
also won by White Leghorns with 2369 eggs from six hens in 
two years. 

Duck competition was won by Indian Runners with 1,278 
eggs in twelve months, and 2,464 in two years. Thus the winning 
pen of ducks laid 105 more eggs than did the winning pen of 
White Leghorns in the same length of time, making the grand 
record of four hundred five and two-thirds eggs average for the 
six ducks in two years. The record was made by English type 
and color — the pure Indian Runner. While this is a pleasing rec- 
ord of which we may be proud, the statement was made that very 
likely it would have been surpassed by a pen in which every 
duck was killed by a fox after it had been in the competition one 
week less than nine months. The six ducks in that pen had laid 
1,195 eggs, an unsurpassed record for that length of time. These 
records need no comment, for it is well known here that well-bred 
penciled Indian Runners rightly managed and housed are capable 
of producing great numbers of eggs. 

The great economic value of the breed will be better appre- 
ciated when it is understood that they are natural foragers, well 
able to cover a great deal of territory in a day in their search for 
food, and that only one full meal a day is needed on the free 
range of the farms during the warmer months of the year. 

There is a special demand for duck eggs in New York City 
for a month or more before Easter. At that time I have sold to 
commission dealers Indian Runner duck eggs for about twice the 
price of hen eggs. After Easter prices drop, but the duck eggs 
sell for ten to fifteen cents in advance of the hen eggs during the 
remainder of spring and summer. The prices received for ducl< 
eggs throughout the year should average, it is plain to be seen, 
considerably more than the prices for hen eggs. Early hatched, 
many ducks and yearlings will outlay hens in autumn. Report'- 
from California and southern portions of our country go to show 
that a sixty per cent yield average for the autumn is not ar 
uncommon record. It is the small flocks, at least in this country. 

63 



that make records above 200 eggs each, ar.d I would not advise 
the keeping of more than 35 ducks in a flock, or better yet, 20 
ducks, if best averages are wanted. 

As we have these little egg-machines at hand ready-made, we 
may say that we are not living up to our opportunities if we do 
not make the most of them. To breed true to type and intelli- 
gently to handle these ducks we need to know their natural colors, 
we must understand Indian Runner characteristics and the natur?] 
tendencies of the breed. If we wish to preserve type and valuable 
traits, to breed out defects or at least prevent deterioration, we 
need to know the history of the breed and, if possible, the origin. 

What is their origin? It is very evidendy not a made-up 
breed from common ducks, for none of the common breeds 
possess even in slightest degree the striking Indian Runner char- 
acter. That the breed has been long established is proved by their 
powerful prepotency ; by crossing an Indian Runner drake with 
farm yard ducks it is said "that fully 80 per cent of the progeny 
will favor the Runners as to soundness of color and markings." 
They were bred by the English farmers for years for their great 
numbers of eggs, and no attention was paid to type or markings ; 
yet the distinctive shape was not destroyed. This is proof enough 
that the breed was not of recent origin. About the first detailed 
information of the breed in this country was an article which 
appeared in the July issue of the Reliable Poultry Journal in 1905, 
from the pen of an Irish writer, who had imported a pair from 
England. This writer stated f that the ducks originated in the 
West Indies, but later said that an error was made. He meant to 
say that East India was the native source of the birds. 

Last summer a letter was printed in Farm and Firesides from 
a lady in Virginia, who undertook to tell how the breed came by 
its name. This woman said her husband, Lancelot Pickering, late 
of Bongatr . Applelv. Eneland, was the namer of the ducks about 
thirty years age. S^e says: "K friend of ours had two duck? 
and a drake giv*:n to her b\ a fri«:nd, a sea captair . Mr. Pickering 
was visiting in the neighborhood, called to see her, saw the ducks 
and asked what brred they were. She said she dd not knov: 
where they came from, but that they wen top T avers, better than 
hens. About that time a celebrated ruimer, in Indian named 



Deerfoot, won the world's championship for long-distance run- 
ning. He said, 'We'll call those ducks Indian Runners/ for they 
can run (minus the waddle), and she saved me a setting of the 
eggs. From that setting I sent eggs and the breed all over tlr 
world, some very early to Belgium and Holland, France and 
Germany. There are no Runners in India besides those that 
were sent from England to a maharajah, sent by Mr. J. H. 
Wilson, a great poultry enthusiast, a breeder, exhibitor, and judge, 
who was instrumental in forming the Indian Runner Duck Club." 

I possess a letter written in 1908 by Mr. J. W. Wilson, 
England, who is, most likely, the Mr. Wilson referred to by Mrs. 
Pickering. Mr. J. W. Wilson was a noted breeder, exhibitor, 
and judge, and his letter told me that his strain of Runners had 
not to his knowledge been crossed for "fifty years. Mr. Wilson's 
catalog stated that his son was then the Honorable Secretary 
of the Indian Runner Duck Club and was the originator of the 
Club. 

The present secretary and treasurer of the English Indian 
Runner Duck Club is soon to publish a book which I think will 
show by evidence not heretofore published that the breed is a very 
ancient one, originating in India many centuries ago. Several 
interesting little treatises have already been published by English 
breeders. Two notable ones are the Thomlinson and Donald 
booklets. The Donald treatise was undated ; it bears the marks of 
age, and I am reliably informed that it was published about 
twenty years ago. Mr. Donald's home was in Cumberland. In 
his book he says that the ducks have been known in Cumberland 
upwards of fifty years. He stated that a ship's captain when 
ashore in India had his attention attracted to the ducks by their 
active habits and handsome carriage. This, with the accounts 
given to him by the natives of their egg-producing capabilities 
and ability to forage for their living during the greater part of 
the year, suggested the idea to the captain of making a present of 
a trio to his farmer friends in West Cumberland, England, which 
he did. Another consignment was imported some years later. 
From the two consignments probably all the present day Runners 
are descended. 

The economic value of the ducks impressed the mind of the 



Cumberland farmer and they were long in this man's hands ex- 
clusively. As their fame extended, the drakes were eagerly sought 
and used to cross with farm yard ducks, to increase Qgg capacity. 
Many so-called Indian Runners were produced by the use of 
these drakes and distributed. Mr. Donald stated that the ducks 
were but little known outside of Cumberland until within the 
last twenty-five or twenty-six years (forty-five or forty-six years 
it would be now) . He remarked that the birds were not so erect 
as formerly and attributed this result to climatic influences, to 
the introduction of foreign blood, to inbreeding, or to a combina- 
tion of all three causes, that many cross breeds had been distrib- 
uted, that the original type had always been kept in but few hands. 

Mr. Donald described head of duck as grayish fawn, and 
drake as having head markings of bronzy-green. The colored 
parts of the body of both sexes are a soft shade of fawn, that of 
the drake being finely penciled, giving a somewhat reddish- 
brown tint towards upper part of the breast. The tail is of a 
darker shade. Feathers of duck had a brownish center with buff 
shade on the margins. 

Mr. Thomlinson's recollections do not date back as far as Mr. 
Donald's or Mr. Digby's, but he treated the subject more fully 
than either. He said that Mr. Donald alone was responsible for 
saving so valuable a breed from extinction, and that the Water 
Fowl Club Standard was the effort of Mr. J. Donald, who wrote 
the description, and Mr. Henry Digby, who allotted the number 
of points. In Mr. Thomlinson's opinion, too many points were 
given to color of body, which led to erratic judging and degen- 
eration of the breed, that points should be given to retain true 
characteristics, viz : shape, type, carriage, and heal and bill. He 
says : "To anyone who has studied their habits it is quite ap- 
parent that their origin is a tropical one, their habit of dropping 
their eggs without any or with only very primitive attempts at 
nest-making proving this. Their non-setting instinct points to the 
fact that their eggs were incubated in the hot sands on similar 
lines to the ostrich and emu. This is corroborated by the fact 
that the tiny ducklings immediately after hatching are as sharp 
and active as partridges, and further, they have a shrill piping 
whistle, which, although faint in sound, can be heard at an incred- 

66 



ible distant for so faint a call. That instinct remains today in 
the true Runner, and immediately upon hearing it their heads are 
erect, and the tiny ducklings run towards each other. 

• -"Nature has endowed this breed with great fecundity in their 
egg production to allow for the great mortality which must ensue 
under these adverse conditions. Their peculiar running gait 
from which they take their name points to the fact that they were 
the survivors of the fittest' in an arid barren region, sparse in 
vegetation, conducive to worm, snail, or slug life, where the 
ordinary waddling duck would have died out # of want, not being 
able to travel over wide areas of country in pursuit of food ar ' 
sustenance. * * * * By the importation of the original 
birds to this country, changes would undoubtedly take place on 
account of climate, and a more plentiful supply of food would 
conduce to a larger and more robust growth. * * * * 
Until the native origin of the country whence came the original 
and subsequent importations, allowing for a taint or cross, which 
will be difficult to dispose of entirely — until some enterprising 
fancier comes into contact with a traveler in those distant parts 
of India or elsewhere and obtains another importaton of originals, 
we must remain content with the best of the material to hand, and 
make the most of the situation to' maintain that shape and car- 
riage which have been identified as typical of the duck in its 
native country. This is no mere myth or fancy, for I have 
evidence to prove that there are ducks in India that bear their 
peculiar shape, style, and carriage, but there the matter at present 
rests." 

Mr. Thomlinson does not say how long the ducks have been 
called Indian Runners. He describes the body shape as re- 
sembling the old-fashioned soda-water bottle, which tapers at 
both ends, and describes color markings, etc., as it is given in the 
English Standard. Making mention of the many and varied poses 
of the Runners, he says : "It is when the ducks are at perfect 
liberty and not confined in a training pen that they show off their 
grandest and most graceful poses. Inherited? Beyond a doubt. 
And inherited in this particular breed which dispels any doubt 
as to their originality even to the most hardened unbeliever." 
The eggs of penciled Runners are large in size and more attrac- 

67 



tive in appearance than the eggs of any other breed. They weigh 
on an average six to the pound. A duck that lays 180 eggs in a 
year produces seven and one-half times her own weight in eggs. 
What other fowl can equal this rate? 

Managing and Feeding the Layers 

First of all, good constitution is needed for the digestive pow- 
ers that enable the duck to consume the quantities of food needed 
to produce large numbers of eggs in addition to sustaining health) 
condition. The ducks must be well bred, fed, housed, and man- 
aged if best results are expected. They are little egg-machines, 
but, like other machines, the output is regulated by the treatmen 4 
they receive. If we desire large quantities of eggs, we must pro- 
vide proper material to produce them, and conditions should 
conform as nearly as possible to the natural requirements of the 
birds. This does not imply the need of complicated rations. A 
wet mash that gives good results with laying hens is good for 
the laying ducks with possibly the addition of more green stuff 
and beef scraps. Greens and clovers, or alfalfa, extends the 
mash and cheapens the cost. Nearly one-half the mash in bulk 
may consist of green stuff or waste, cooked vegetables, or both. 
When economy must be considered, remember that beef scraps r 
plenty of animal food in some form is a necessity for ducks when 
they can not procure it for themselves in the fields or streams 
in shape of worms, slugs, frogs, etc. If working for great num- 
bers of eggs regardless of fertility, the ducks can be fed more 
beef scraps than would otherwise be used, but scraps must not 
be fed to excess for fear of straining or injuring the birds and 
throwing them out of condition. The egg flow of yarded ducks 
can be largely controlled by the amount of beef scraps fed. A 
mash for the breeders should have at least five per cent of b?cf 
scraps and can be fed twice a day with whole grains for noon 
or night meal. The layers can be given ten per cent more of 
beef scraps in the mash, but observation and judgment must be 
exercised, for all flocks can not be fed the same. The quality of 
food varies, and conditions likewise are never just the same on 
two places. Care must be used not to feed the varded ducks 
too much. Give them only what they will eat up clean and 
quickly. Better keep them a little hungry than overfeed. A free 

68 



range flock is in haste to reach the fields and will eat but little 
n the morning. They should be given all they will eat of whole 
grains upon their return at night. I have never seen a free range 
flock that was overfed. A good ration to use to start the egg flow 
when ducks reach laying age is the following : 

2 parts of bran 

i part middlings 

i part corn meal 

2 parts green stuff, cooked vegetables, or alfalfa, or both 

5 per cent of grit like wheat grains for size 

io per cent of beef scraps 
When eggs come plentifully one part of the bran may be left 
out, for ducks become thin in flesh after continued heavy laying. 
Another laying ration is this : Equal parts by measure in 
these formulas of corn meal and bran. 

20 per cent of white middlings 

io per cent of beef scraps 

io per cent of boiled potatoes, beets, or turnips 

15 per cent of cut clover or alfalfa, scalded if in winter, 
and ground alfalfa is used with 3 to 5 per cent of gut 
Give of this mash twice a day all that is cleaned up quickh , 
01 in the course of a few minutes. Best quality of oyster shelis 
and granulated charcoal should be always kept before the duel- 1 
as well as plenty of drinking water in buckets, that they may 
immerse their heads and keep the nostrils from becoming stopped 
up. 

For best fertility of eggs do not force egg production, feed 
only five per cent of beef scraps with mash twice a day if the 
ducks are yarded, and grains at night. The breeders should be 
rather sparingly fed, and if possible given free range, as eggs 
hatch so much better, especially late in the season. All foods 
must be of good quality. I insist upon the home ground bran, as 
the western bran is so poor. Middlings vary in quality, but it is 
safe to use all the mash will hold without being sticky like dough. 
Beef scrap must be of good quality, should be of a light brown 
color, and have no bad odor. Spoiled beef scraps will cause 
limberneck and great mortality, especially with the young ones. 
Houses need not be expensive. The front should be warm and 
tight. Open fronts may be used with curtains to let down when 

69 



weather is severe, or during storms. Floor should be well covered 
with straw or other litter, but should be removed or more strewn 
on top whenever it becomes damp. During severe weather ducks 
should be kept indoors. 

Rearing Young Runners 

The successful rearing of the young stock is an essential of 
duck culture. As Indian Runners offer such wonderful possibil- 
ities, beginners start out often with more enthusiasm than knowl- 
edgs, and here is where the trouble begins. If from lack of 
knowing how to handle the little ones many are lost, the beginner 
becomes discouraged, maybe gives up and pronounces the breed 
as "no good." I want to offer a word of caution and ask the 
inexperienced to study up before trying to raise young ones 
hatched from expensive eggs. There is a "know how" and it is 
easily learned if one has the ability and perseverance that is 
needed to succeed with any kind of poultry. There are sevearl 
good books published on duck culture; these treat mostly on 
market ducks. Methods are much the same, except that Runners 
if wanted for layers and breeders must not be forced to the limit, 
like the stock for market purposes. Skill in caring for hens may 
be turned to account with ducks, as the handling of these mostly 
varies in detail; general principles are much the same, but the 
details must be learned or success is uncertain. When a few 
rules are observed it is a great pleasure to raise the ducklings, 
as they grow so fast and are very interesting at all stages of de- 
velopment. The beginner must learn not to overfeed ; better keep 
them a little hungry. This is one of the secrets of success. 

I like best to hatch with hens if small numbers are wanted ; 
otherwise it is necessary to use incubators. The nests should be 
built on the floor or as near the ground as possible, especially in 
hot weather. Eggs in hot weather should be sprinkled a few times 
with warm water during the latter part of incubation and at the 
pipping stage. Do this when hen is on the nest, or the eggs may 
be chilled. Eggs should be hatched in a darkened room where 
other poultry will not molest them. Hens must be well dusted 
with insect powder or they will not sit quietly. Whether brooded 

70 



with hens or brooders ducklings must not be chilled or over- 
heated. More depends upon the brooding and care than upon 
the season of the year. April, May, and June are the best months 
for hatching. The ducklings should be placed in small yards 
which can be changed to fresh ground occasionally. After a few 
weeks they can be turned on the range. Ducklings may be wat- 
ered, but not fed, till at least thirty-six hours old. After that 
bread soaked in sweet milk and sprinkled with a little coarse sand 
or fine grit may be fed at regular intervals. When ducklings are 
about six days old begin to mix bran and middlings with the 
bread. By the time they are a week or ten days old gradually 
get them on to the following mash: 

4 parts bran (all by measure) 
i part white middlings 

i part corn meal 

2 parts green stuff cut very fine, lettuce, dandelions, 
clover, or alfalfa 

5 per cent coarse sand or finest size chick grit 
Sprinkle in a little powdered charcoal once a day 

If milk cannot be spared to wet the mash, 5 per cent of 
good grade of beef scraps with the coarse part sifted 
out should be added to the mash 

I do not give the full allowance of greens or scraps at first, 
but gradually increase it. They may be fed four or five times a 
day at first. 

When they are two weeks old three meals a day will do very 
well ; a sharp appetite is the test of condition. Shade must be 
provided from the hot sun; movable shade is preferable to that 
of large trees where too much dampness may prevail. Fine 
cracked corn or the corn and wheat may be given for the night 
ration when ducks are six or eight weeks old. When fully 
feathered and on range, the morning mash and whole grains at 
night will suffice. At maturity they may be gradually gotten on 
to the laying ration. Water should be given the ducklings in 
such a way that they may immerse the bills and heads without 
wetting their bodies. A tomato can makes a good drinking dish 
for the small ones. Cut a notch in the top of it, fill with water 

71 



with the chill taken off if weather is cold, place on top a tin basin, 
with bottom up, on deep enough and about two inches in diameter 
larger than the can. Invert the whole and water will run in as 
fast as ducklings drink it. Brooders must have dry bedding and 
everything kept in as sanitary a condition as possible. 



N£ 



72 



EXPERIENCE OF MRS. GEO. R. SIMPSON, 

OWENSVILLE, IND., 

WITH INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS. 

A few years ago I became interested in Indian Runner ducks 
and bought some 300 eggs. It certainly has proved a wonderful 
money-making venture. I had great trouble to secure eggs of the 
best quality, as the demand even then was so great that it was 
next to impossible to get them. People have been disappointed 
so much in not being able to get eggs when they desire them that 
they now sometimes book orders two or three months ahead. My 
purchase in duck eggs was in accordance with my views in buying 
anything else, "The best is the cheapest." Finally, I was able to 
locate some eggs of quality, and ordered them for April 25th of 
that year. I kept April 25th in mind and after April 15th held in 
reserve every setting hen — not because I did not need them, but 
because I wanted to select nice quiet hens to set on my precious 
duck eggs. I had had considerable experience with incubators 
and in hatching hen eggs, and had been very successful with them. 
I was, as many people still are, ignorant of the fact that a machine 
that hatches hen eggs successfully will not always hatch duck eggs 
well. April 25th found everything in readiness for my eggs. The 
hens had been setting quietly and contentedly for a week or ten 
days, and my incubator was running steadily for three or four 
days at 103 degrees, never varying more than one-half a degree. 
The eggs arrived in due time and were cared for according to 
the following instructions: 

How to Treat Eggs for Setting Purposes. 

When you buy eggs do not set them immediately, but turn 

73 



the basket upside down and let them remain perfectly quiet for 
1 8 hours. In the first place, if you buy eggs you should be right 
on hand when they arrive and take them to your home imme- 
diately and let them rest, because if they stay at the depot they 
have no particular care whatever and you may get a poor hatch. 
The depot agent is not supposed to give them the turning, etc., 
you would give them. That is not his line of work. So be ready 
to look after your part of the business and take care of the eggs. 
If you can not set them for a few days after they arrive, then do 
not neglect to turn them twice every day. The quicker you get 
them to setting after the first 18 hours, the better the hatch you 
may expect. 

Hatching With Hens 

It is best to set eggs under a good steady hen. In so doing, 
be sure your hen is settled down to business and will take good 
care of your eggs. Be sure to sprinkle your eggs once every 
week, and three times the last week, with good, clean, warm water. 
Always do this at night, so. that there will be no danger of the 
hen leaving the eggs and allowing them to chill before the nest 
is dry. I take a half pint of water to a nest of eggs. Do not be 
afraid of getting too much. They must have much moisture and 
the hen will attend to the ventilation. Unless you do as I have 
instructed you, you may expect dead ducklings in the shell. 

When Eggs Begin to Pip 

Many people are so restless they can scarcely wait for the 
ducklings to hatch, so they begin to help them out of the shell. 
You must not. do that. If the eggs are under a hen, take a half 
pint of warm water when the eggs begin to pip and sprinkle lib- 
erally over them. Then do not bother the hen again for at least 
twenty- four hours. Duck eggs often pip twenty- four to thirty- 
six hours before the ducklings emerge from the shell, so if they 
are not hatched in twenty-four hours after the first egg is pipped, 
just sprinkle them lightly again and let the hen alone. Every 
time you raise the hen to satisfy your curiosity, you let escape 
the heat and moisture which is absolutely necessary for a success- 
ful hatch. You can raise a hen so often that the ducklings will 
die in the shell even after they have cut the end of the shell and 

74 



are ready to come out. My advice is never, under any circumstances 
pull them from the shell, because they can not get out themselves. 
Nine times out of ten, if you do, you bring them out prematurely 
by twelve to twenty- four hours, and they are a loss to you. If a 
duckling is not strong enough to get out of the shell without be- 
ing helped, then it is not worth pulling out. By leaving the hen 
alone you may lose one or two in the nest, but what you save are 
nice strong ducklings. If hatched in incubators, do not open it 
constantly, for the result will be the same as in raising the hen — 
loss of heat and moisture. 

Care of Hen During Incubation 

Keep the hen free from lice while she sets. If the hen is alive 
with lice, it stands to reason that the ducklings will be the same, 
but lice will never find ducklings any other way than by coming 
from the hen, or a box or coop which is infested with them. 
Once they are on a duckling they must be treated exactly the 
same as on chickens. My method used' to be a drop of Oil of 
Pennyroyal, but now I use sweet cream and prefer it to anything 
I ever used. I sprinkle the eggs twice during incubation with 
dry sulphur and twice with a little air slacked lime. This helps 
to keep the hen free from lice: 

After the ducklings are hatched do not feed them until they 
are thirty-six hours old. Then feed them bread soaked in milk 
and squeezed dry for the first few days. Gradually begin to add 
wheat bran, corn meal, alfalfa meal, river sand, such as is usee! 
in concrete work, and beef scrap. Keep water constantly before 
them after they are thirty-six hours old. Feed every two hou- 
for the first few days and gradually work them off until only 
four times a day. Remember two things : More ducks are killed 
by over feed than by under feed. Also that they must have the 
water to drink. If you keep water away from them very long 
they will over-gorge their little selves when they do get to it, 
and will die in two minutes right before your eyes. I have hac 
hundreds of people write me "to know the trouble with their ducks 
and almost invariably they would tell me how they died when 
they got to the water. The reason was because they were suffer- 
ing for water and drank too much when they did get it. When 

75 



you feed the ducklings measure out what you think is enough, 
then take one-third or one-half of that amount and feed them, and 
feed the remainder to chickens or something alse, but never keep 
it over for next feed. Never omit green food and grit from their 
food. They must also have beef scrap. 

When ducks are four weeks old feed them the following 
formula : * 

4 measures wheat bran 

3 measures shorts 

2 measures corn meal 

i measure beef scrap 

One-half measure river sand 

2 measures cut clover or alfalfa i jcuJ 

There is still danger of over feed, so do not kill your nice 
ducklings at this age because of lack of wisdom. There is no set 
rule as to how much to feed them. Use judgment. From this 
time on I keep a sharp pearl grit and oyster shell before them 
and for supper give them cracked corn. To teach them to eat 
cracked corn I gradually mix it into the mash for the evening 
meal until at the end of about ten days their supper is nothing 
but wet cracked corn. In a few more days they will eat it dry and 
they really like it. It gives them a balanced ration. 

Ducks are often bothered by "chiggers" and lumps will swell 
upon their noses, just like bumps on a person who is suffering 
with "chigger bites." I rub the head just above the beak with 
fried meat grease and coal oil. Often times whole flocks will die 

in a short time from this affliction. 

* 

Many people complain of ducks being down in the back. It 
is not that, it is down in the legs. Their legs are weak. They 
need beef scrap and exercise. They can only walk a short distance 
when they drop down to rest. They eat heartily and do well, 
but are down in the legs. Rheumatism will affect your birds 
unless their houses are kept perfectly clean and dry. After they 
are five weeks old I do not put them in a coop at night, but let 
them roost out of doors. They enjoy it so much. After they are 
ten weeks old I advise marketing all surplus males and cull fe- 
males, as they wll "eat their heads off" if you do not. 

76 



Remember, to get best results from Indian Runners they mast 
have the care I have just told you about, and if you do exactly 
as I tell you there is no need of losing a duckling. 

Feed and Care of Breeders 

For good egg production during cold weather, the ducks must 
be kept in a dry place with plenty of clean, dry bedding, as their 
feet are very tender. They should also have plenty of clean water 
to drink, which can easily be provided in common ricf buckets. 
Their feed should consist of: 

4 measures wheat bran 
3 measures of shorts 
i measure of beef scrap 
2 measures of alfalfa meal 
i measure of oil meal 
One-half measure of river sand 

Mix thoroughly the dry ingredients, then mix up with water 
or milk what is necessary for one feed to a thick, sticky mass. 
Give them the mash mornings and noon at regular hours about all 
they will clean up nicely. It is better to feed sparingly than to 
overfeed. At night, feed shelled corn, a light feed, and have 
plenty of crushed oyster shell always before them. 

When I entrusted a portion of my duck eggs to the incubator 
that had very little ventilation, I got only nineteen ducklings from 
ioo eggs. Most of the remaining eggs had fully formed duck- 
lings in them, but they had died for lack of ventilation just about 
the time they were ready to pip the shell. We have since very 
successfully used incubators with plenty of ventilation. 

The Indian Runners have proved to be great money winners. 
Last year I kept fifty females and in eight months' time sold ove: 
$500 worth of eggs, and at the end of that time forty per cent of 
the flock was still laying. Our proceeds were $1,680.08 from stock 
and eggs combined. I can not give an exact report for this year 
yet, but some time ago I had gone over the $2,500.00 mark. T 
have sold over 1,700 ducks within the past eighteen months. 

I endeavor to be always on the alert for the demands of a 

77 



buying public. I saw some time ago that much attention was 
being directed toward the pure white Indian Runner, and I at 
once procured some of them. They lay as many eggs as do the 
American Standard ducks, and breed absolutely true to color. 
Their large eggs are pearly white. In shape they should have 
the same long racy form that characterizes all the Indian Runners. 
Their color is pure snow whte, without any touch of tan or other 
foreign color. Being rare, they command high prices, as do also 
their eggs. I would advise people who want to win to get some 
of these most wonderful egg machines. 

I have endeavored to tell in as brief a way as possible the 
manner in which you can successfully rear Indian Runner ducks. 
If you follow the instructions found in this book, I am confident 
that you will succeed. 



-t 



78 



WHITE INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS 

By Mrs. U. R. Fishel, Hope, Ind. 



White Indian Runner ducks, as the name implies, are pure 
white. This very new and most popular variety of Indian Runner 
ducks, with the carriage of the Indian Runner, the pure white 
plumage, and wedge shaped bill and head, makes a very beautiful 
fowl. It is said that the white Indian Runner is a better egg pro- 
ducer than the colored birds, but actual test alone can substantiate 
this claim. One thing sure, and that is, the white Indian Runners 
lay a pure white egg. No one need worry about the color of their 
eggs. 

There is no doubt but what the demand for white fowls has 
always been and always will be greater than for a parti-colored 
fowl. Some breeders wonder why this craze for white Runners. 
It is easily explained. The white, birds are easy to breed to color 
and type, they lay a pure white egg, produce fewer culls in the 
flock, and bring higher prices. I know of a single white Runner 
drake that sold for one hundred and fifty dollars, and a duck that 
sold for one hundred dollars. 

Some people think the white Runner just a fad, just as they 
mistakenly thought about the fawn and whites, but the white 
Indian Runner has come to stay, and bids fair to become the most 
popular duck bred. We know of one breeder who raised and 
sold over two thousand white Runners the past year, the lowest 
price received for a duck being five dollars. So you can readily 
see the popularity of this new breed. In type and general make-up 
the white Runner is the same as the fawn and white or the pen- 
ciled Runners. It is often noticed at the large poultry exhibitions, 
however, that the birds best in type are the white ones. 

To convince yourself as to which is the best Indian Runner, 
the white, fawn and white, or penciled, try a few of each. 

79 



THE WHITE INDIAN RUftfoEifc 
The Greatest of All Ducks 



By B. R. Inman, Middletown, Ind. 

The white Indian Runner duck is destined, in the very near 
future, to become one of America's most profitable and popular 
fowls. It incorporates all the strong features of both the light 
fawn and white and the English penciled varieties, with the addi- 
tional salient characteristics of a beautiful snow-white plumage 
and a graceful, racy carriage. 

The white Runners have been raised but a few years. During 
the last two years, however, a number of duck raisers have dis- 
covered their true value and are now the proud owners of fine 
flocks. 

There is one feature about the white Runners that will appeal 
to all who raise them, viz : the perfect markings of the pure type, 
as indicated in the pure white plumage. This feature, together 
with the requisite conformity to a fixed standard, and the char- 
acteristic manner in which the breed transmits its markings to its 
progeny, will result in the development of a type of perfection 
of standard that can not be obtainable in the parti-colored fowls. 

In their eagerness to possess a flock of white Runners, a num- 
ber of breeders have crossed the fawn and white Runners with 
the Pekin duck, and are selling the offspring for white Runners. 
We desire to sound a note of warning against the purchase of 
these mongrel birds. Those who value pure blood can not be too 
careful on this point. When the writer decided to start a flock of 
white Indian Runners he felt that the best was none too good. 
He therefore sent direct to the original flock in California for 
his foundation. This was done after inspecting several flocks in 
which mixed blood was apparent. This mongrel blood is abso- 
lutely unfit for breeding purposes where a conformity to a recog- 
nized standard is desired. Even if it should be conceded that the 

80 



white Runner was originally the product of a cross with other 
varieties, now that the type of individuality is distinct, the blood 
must be kept pure. 

We believe profoundly in the ultimate triumph of the white 
Runner over all other varieties, as well as in its ability to prove 
itself a source of rare pleasure and profit to its owners. The 
writer has a flock of fine fawn and white, another of English 
penciled with splendid markings, and therefore feels justfied in 
saying that while all have their friends, the white Runners have 
the more salient characteristics which will eventually bring them 
into universal favor. The question, however, is not so much what 
variety to adopt, as it is to obtain the very best blood that can be 
secured in your favorite breed. Much depends on the foundation 
stock. More failures are made here than at any other point. It 
is a serious mistake to believe that just so you are setting duck 
eggs, that is all that is necessary. The best is none too good. 




81 



PART III 

RELIABLE ADVERTISEMENTS 

PAGE 

Petaluma Incubator Co. 83 

B. R. Inman & Son 83 

J. G. Hermann & Co. 84 

Monarch Publishing Co. 84 

Inland Poultry Journal 85 

Mrs. Geo. R. Simpson 86 

Indiana Electrotype Co. 87 

Mrs. D. O. Teasley 88-89 

Hillcrest Poultry Farm 90 

Mrs. Andrew Brooks , 91 

The A. D. Hosterman Co. 92 



82 



' BUY A PETALUMA BUY A PETALUMA * 

START HATCHING RIGHT 
NOW WITH A 

Petaluma 
Incubator 

STANDARD OF THE WORLD. 

You can use oil, gas or electricity at less expense for operating than 
with any other machine. All Capacities. All Prices. 

The Best Duck Incubator Made 

Write us for particulars. Catalog worth while Our guarantee 
means something, and we pay freight. 

PETALUMA INCUBATOR CO., 

PETALUMA, GAL. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 



No More Wet Feet for, Ducklings and Chicks. 

A Long Felt Want Supplied. 

Why Hasn't Some One Thought of it Before ? 

It is a well-known fact that thousands of dollars are lost every year by 
poultry raisers throughout the country on account of the death of chicks 
and ducklings, resulting from various diseases caused by wet feet. This 
great loss is now being turned into profit by the use of 



The 
Eureka 
Poultry Mat 



Simple in construction. Absolutely sanitary. Fully guaranteed. Made 
to use with any size or style of drinking vessel. Price 50 cents to $1.50. 
Manufactured by B. R. INMAN & SON, Hillcrest Poultry Farm, Mid- 
dletown, Indiana. Agents wanted. Send for terms and booklet. 

JNMAN'S PERFECTION DUCK FOOD meets all re- 
quirements for young ducklings. Specially prepared for be- 
ginners and others who desire a reliable and well-balanced 
ration. Price, $2.25 per 100 pounds, f. o. b. Middletown. Special 
rates on larger quantities. Send order to above address. 

83 




POULTRY FEEDS 

Price per Price per Price per 

25 lbs. 50 lbs. 100 lbs. 

Hen Scratch $ .55 $1.00 $1.85 

Chick Scratch .60 110 2.00 

Poultry Mash .55 1.00 1.80 

Pin Head Oats 1.00 1.90 3.50 

Kaffir Corn .50 .90 1.60 

Alfalfa Clover Meal .85 1.50 

Cracked Corn (Hen or Chick Size) .50 .90 i.60 

Gluten MeaL__ .55 1.00 1.80 

Wheat Bran 1.40 

Beef Scraps .80 1.45 2.75 

Ground Bone (Hen or Chick Size) .75 1.35 2.50 

Meat and Bone.. _ . .75 1.35 2.50 

Oyster Shell (Hen or Chick Size). .25 .40 .65 

Mica Grit (Hen or Chick Size )__ .25 .40 .65 

Pearl Grit ( Hen or Chick Size)__ .20 .35 .60 

Charcoal (Hen or Chick Size) .50 85 1.65 

Pigeon Feed .70 * 1.20 2.25 

PRICES SUBJECT TO MARKET CHANGES. 

We also handle all kinds of feed for Cattle, Horses, Hogs and Sheep. Don't fail to write for 

our price list describing our feeds, and the lack Strap Feeding Molasses 

also our Poultry Supply Catalogue. 

T (I flFRMAM & C(\ 326 So. Gapitol Ave., 

•J. U. ILE* JYlYli\HH 43C \)\J. 9 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. 



Monarch Publishing Go 

MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA. 

Publishers 

Printers 

Stationers 

Specialty of Poultry Booklets, Gatalogs, 
Stationery and Supplies. 



CAREFUL ATTENTION GIVEN TO MAIL ORDERS 



PROMPT SERVICE HIGH GRADE WORK 

FAIR PRICES 

84 



THE 



Inland Poultry Journal 

Is one of the Best Papers published, 

and to see a copy is to believe, 

to read it is to know. 



This paper contains 48 to 168 pages each month 
bound in a handsome Color Cover. 



The pictures of the different varieties of fowls on the cover 
alone are worth more than the subscription price. 



The reading matter is furnished by Practical Poultrymen of 

national reputation. You will be greatly benefitted 

by this paper, and can gain much, even 

though you are an old-time breeder. 



Regular Subscription Price, 50 Gents. 



This gives you 12 large papers — one the first of each month 

for a whole year. Wait ! If you will send us 50 cents 

and mention where you saw this advertisement 

we will also send you a book, Plans for 

Poultry Houses, free. Address 

Inland Poultry Journal 

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 

85 




MRS. GEO. R. 
SIMPSON 

Breeder of Simpson's Won- 
derful Laying Pure White Egg 
Strain Light Fawn and White 



INDIAN 

RUNNER 

DUCKS 

Also, Simpson's Snowflake 
Strain of White Runners. 



I have at this writing, July 11, 1911, a flock of standard colored ducks 
which value at $2,500. I have never known defeat in the show room ; 
have furnished winners for my customers at many shows, among which is 
the "Madison Square Garden Show" of the South, held at Atlanta, Ga., 
in January, 1911, Macon, Ga., show|in October, 1910, J^Jew Orleans, 
La., held in 1910, Mt. Vernon, Ind., held in February, 1910. Aside 
from being Blue Ribbon Winners, they are money winners, each bird in 
my flock 1910 having in 8 months time averaged over $10 per head and 
40$ of the flock then laying. Stock for sale at all times— $3.50 to $10.00 
per head. Eggs from the cream of this immense flock, which consists of 
one drake and five ducks, which are prize winners and known as Special 
Mating, $7.00 per setting of 13 eggs. 

Pen 1— $5 per 13 eggs; $35 per 100. Pen 2— $3 per 13 eggs; $20 per 100 
Pen 3— $1.50 per 13 eggs; $10 per 100. 

Utilities $1.00 per 13 eggs ; $5.00 per 100. 

Simpson's Snowflake Strain White Runners : Single birds $7 to $10, 

trios, $20 to 25. Eggs, chalk white in color, Pen 1, 

$7 per 13, Pen 2, $5 per 13. 

ADDRESS 

MRS. GEO. R. SIMPSON 

OWENSVILLE, INDIANA. 



86 



7? 



u 




AJfflOTM 



CUT S 

add to the 
Vafaeofydur 

Advertising 



^F 



PI 



iNDIANAELEGTRgnfPE;^. 
2^ W.Haiyland 5t. Indianapolis 



/ 



2 



87 



All the 



Indian Runners 



Pure White, American Standard, 
English Walton. 



Heavy 
Laying 
Strain 




Best Blood 
Line in 

the 
World 



I won 13 first prizes, 7 second prizes, many third and fourth 
prizes and a silver cup for best display — all in one month. There is no 
guessing at the quality of stock on my farm, for I employ one of the best 
poultry judges in America to select, classify and mate my birds. There- 
fore, in buying from me you are sure to get what you pay for. Eggs and 
stock in season. Send for mating list. 

MRS. D. O. TEASLEY 

Anderson, Indiana. 

State Secretary of the National White Indian Runner Duck Club. 



88 



Kellerstrass 

Crystal White 
Orpingtons 

The Best Blood Lines in the World." 




Marvelous m | '**Jf' M^'^MMmi First Prize 

avers rBBk. ^ ^n^»^^;!j Mp Winners 



&p*frgAt yog 



The Kellerstrass Orpingtons are the world's most famous chicken. Most 
of my birds were hatched from a $750 pen. Like my ducks, my chickens 
are scored and mated by an expert poultry judge, and you will run no 
risk in buying my stock and eggs. The judge said : "The cockerel 
heading Mrs. Teasley's first pen is one- of the best male birds I ever 
saw." I am not a huckster — buying eggs from Tom, Dick and Harry, 
and selling them as blooded stock, but supply eggs from my own breeding 
pens only, and guarantee to ship them strictly as ordered. Infertiles re- 
placed. Write for my mating list. 

MRS. D. O. TEASLEY 

Anderson, Indiana. 



89 



DO YOU WANT TO 
MAKE MONEY? 



IP SO, BUY SOME OF 



Our Indian Runner Duck Eos 

AND GO TO RAISING DUCKS. 



Our Pure White Indian Runner Ducks 
came from the original flock in California. 
No better blood can be found anywhere. 
We also have a very fine flock of AMERI- 
CAN LIGHT FAWN AND WHITE, and 
another of ENGLISH WALTON PEN- 
CILED RUNNERS. All our ducks are 
prolific layers of only white eggs. 

PRICE OF EGGS : 

White Runners $5.00 to $8.00. per Setting 

Light Fawn and White $1.00 to $6.00 per Setting 

English Penciled $1.00 to $5.00 per Setting 

Kellerstrass English White Orpingtons, 
S. C. Rhode Island Reds and Partridge 
Wyandottes. Price of eggs, $1.00 to $5.00 
per setting. Special price on Hen and 
Duck Eggs in larger quantities. 

Hillcrest Poultry Farm 

B. R. INMAN & SON, Proprs. 

MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA. 



90 



English Penciled 

Indian Runners 



The Pure Indian Runner 



Bred to English Standard, such as won 
fame in the Australian Laying Competi- 
tions. I have imported stock from Mr. 
J. W. Walton, present Secretary of the 
English Indian Runner Club. These 
birds are relatives of the Runners he 
recently imported from India, the native 
home of the breed. I can spare only a 
few eggs from these new matings. Book 
your orders at once, as I shall be unable 
to fill the demand. I am booking or- 
ders from other pens of my own, and 
Walton strains of heavy layers of white 
eggs. I also breed the White Fairies 
strain of White Indian Runners. 



Mrs. ANDREW BROOKS 

AUBURN, N. Y. 

BOX B., B. D. No. 6. 

91 



POULTRY SUCCESS 

THE 20TH CENTURY MAGAZINE 

The World's Favorite and Leading 
Poultry Journal 

Shows how to Succeed in all Branches of the Poultry Business. 
Acknowledged the Best Authority on All Poultry Matters. 

23rd year; monthly, 74 to 220 pages: handsome illustrations : 
best writers : tells just what you want to know. Shows how to 
get eggs : how to hatch, raise and care for chicks ; best methods 
for broilers and roasters, how to use incubators and brooders : 
how to mate to produce prize winners ; gives building plans, 
etc., and shows how to build and equip your plant Full of 
good things, just the paper you want. Gives full details and all 
necessary information for the successful care and management 
of poultry for both Fancier and Beginner. 

Subscription Price— 50c Per Year. 

SAMPLE COPY FREE. 

Our Fine Book, "Poultry Keeping in a Nutshell," 

Free to New Yearly Subscribers, if you ask for it when you 
send your order and no other premium is taken in connection. 

POULTRY SUCCESS 

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. 

How to Get Bis Poultry Profits. 

The Great Briggs' System Book shows how to do this. The new 4th 
edition covers every branch of poultry keeping and contains the 
many priceless secrets necessary to be known to insure the 
largest profits and greatest success with poultry. Tells how to 
plan, build and operate a poultry plant and market the products: 
how to get the most eggs : run incubators : raise nearly every 
chick hatched, prevent diseases, etc. It also tells how to make 
the very best poultry food for 10 to 15 cents per bushel. Briggs' 
System is the best and simplest known. It calls for less equip- 
ment, labor and expense and gets the . best results. Price of 
Book, including one year's subscription to Poultry Success, $1. 

The A. 0. Hosterman Co., Springfield, Ohio. 

92 



M'.R.lfe 1912 



